Israelis awoke Saturday to the news that Operation «Roaring Lion» had begun, with joint American-Israeli strikes targeting military sites inside Iran. Within hours, satellite images circulated in Israeli media appearing to show damage to a compound associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly struck in the opening wave.

Air raid alerts were activated across parts of the country as Iran launched missile barrages in response. According to an Israeli military official speaking on background the incoming fire amounted to «more in the dozens» per round, though no significant impacts had been reported at the time of the briefing. Home Front Command urged civilians to follow updated safety instructions and avoid sharing real-time locations of missile strikes.

In a speech on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump condemned Tehran’s role in regional instability, saying, «From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq. The regime has armed, trained, and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts. And it was Iran’s proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before.» 

He added, «Iran is the world’s number-one state sponsor of terror… It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again. They can never have a nuclear weapon.»

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation, warning that «in the coming days we will be required to show resilience.» His remarks reflected a broader message from Israeli leadership framing the operation as necessary and potentially prolonged.

Israeli officials said the goal of the campaign is «to thoroughly degrade the Iranian regime’s capabilities and remove existential threats to the State of Israel.» The military cited renewed Iranian efforts to advance ballistic missile production and conceal elements of its nuclear program as justification for the timing of the strike.

Israeli assessments, according to local reports, indicate that Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Khamenei and a key figure linked to Iran’s nuclear program, was likely killed in the operation. The military has not formally confirmed specific individuals targeted, saying assessments are ongoing.

US JOINS ISRAEL IN PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON IRAN AS TRUMP CONFIRMS ‘MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS’

Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv transfers patients to underground fortified facilities after the launch of the campaign against Iran. (Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL)

The Israeli National Security Council issued a warning to Israelis abroad, urging them to take heightened precautions in all destinations and remain alert to potential threats against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas.

Inside Israel, the reaction combined tension with discipline. Schools in some areas shifted to remote learning, reservists received draft orders, and families checked that protected rooms were stocked. The military said approximately 70,000 reservists were being called up, largely for aerial defense, Home Front Command duties and border reinforcement.

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An interception is visible in the sky over Haifa during the latest barrage. (Anthony Hershko/TPS-IL)

Officials said forces are deployed across all borders in preparation for possible escalation involving Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and others. While leaders stressed that the targets are military and not civilian, they acknowledged that the coming days could test the country’s endurance.

For now, Israelis are watching closely as developments unfold, bracing for further retaliation while leaders signal that the campaign will continue «as long as necessary.»

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Irán afirmó este sábado que responderá «con decisión» al ataque de Israel y Estados Unidos en el país, ordenado pese a unas conversaciones sobre el programa nuclear iraní entre Teherán y Washington destinadas a evitar un conflicto.

«Las Fuerzas Armadas de la República Islámica de Irán responderán con decisión a los agresores», advirtió la cancillería iraní en un comunicado, donde también destacó que Irán hizo «todo lo necesario para evitar una guerra».

En ese marco, el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores destacó: «Así como estábamos listos para las negociaciones, ahora estamos más preparados que nunca para defender a la nación iraní«.

«La renovada agresión militar de Estados Unidos y del régimen sionista contra Irán se produce en un momento en que la República Islámica de Irán había declarado claramente que no buscaba la guerra ni la escalada», indicó el Ministerio de Exteriores.

Según publicó la agencia ANSA, una fuente de seguridad israelí anticipó que los ataques contra Irán continuarán «mientras sea necesario» para «garantizar que el régimen iraní ya no pueda socavar la estabilidad regional e internacional.

Para Irán, «Estados Unidos y el régimen sionista, al cometer esta agresión militar, han demostrado una vez más su desprecio por las normas del derecho internacional y por la paz y la estabilidad regional«.

Además, el gobierno iraní consideró que los ataques constituyen una violación de la Carta de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas y llamó al organismo internacional, así como a sus miembros a «adoptar medidas urgentes frente a esta agresión, que constituye una amenaza a la paz y la seguridad internacionales».

Según informó la agencia EFE, el Ministerio de Exteriores aseguró que la respuesta a estas agresiones «es un derecho legítimo e indiscutible de Irán, y las Fuerzas Armadas de la República Islámica ejercerán este derecho con determinación para defender la seguridad y los intereses nacionales».

La cartera recordó que el ataque se produce en medio del Ramadán, mes sagrado para los musulmanes, y a menos de un mes del fin de año persa, Noruz, que se celebra el 21 de marzo.

El ministerio de Exteriores reconoció que en los ataques de este sábado han sido alcanzados «objetivos e infraestructuras defensivas y militares», además de «otros lugares en distintas ciudades del país», sin dar más detalles.

A modo de cierre, la cancillería iraní afirmó que «la historia demuestra que el pueblo iraní nunca se ha rendido ante la agresión de los opresores y que esta vez también dará una respuesta firme y determinante, y los agresores lamentarán sus actos hostiles».

A través de un video publicado en sus redes sociales el primer ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmó el ataque contra Irán y le agradeció al presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, por la operación conjunto entre ambos países.

«Ha llegado el momento de que todos los sectores del pueblo de Irán –los persas, los kurdos, los azeríes, los baluchis y los ahwazis– se liberen del yugo de la tiranía y creen un Irán libre y pacífico», expresó Netanyahu.

En ese contexto, Israel llamó a la «precaución» a sus ciudadanos en el extranjero este sábado a la luz de la escalada militar con Irán, ante la posibilidad de que se produzcan ataques terroristas o llevados a cabo por individuos contra israelíes.

«El Consejo de Seguridad Nacional llama a todo el público israelí residente en el extranjero a tomar precauciones aumentadas en cualquier destino en el mundo», planteó un comunicado del Consejo difundido por la oficina del primer ministro de Israel.

El Consejo señaló que, en el marco de la escalada, «el régimen iraní actuará con más vigor para llevar ataques en el extranjero contra objetivos israelíes y judíos», lo que puede llevar a un aumento de ataques a manos de «elementos terroristas e iniciativas locales (incluyendo perpetradores individuales)».

El organismo pidió a los israelíes en el extranjero que no publiquen en redes sociales información sobre su localización, que eviten lugares asociados con el judaísmo o Israel si no están asegurados o difundir información sobre su situación cuando están cerca de lugares de esta índole (como sinagogas o restaurantes).

EXCLUSIVE: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman laid out the timeline for the Artemis Moon landing and discussed the current delay to the Artemis II mission during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

The agency announced Friday that Artemis III, Artemis IV and Artemis V will all be launched before the end of President Donald Trump’s second term. Artemis IV and Artemis V will be missions where astronauts return to the surface of the Moon. 

«To be overwhelmingly clear, we did not stretch out our timeline or delay anything. What we did is insert additional missions, standardized, so we can actually achieve the national policy that President Trump set out to return American astronauts to the Moon, and build an enduring presence to stay,» Isaacman told Fox News Digital.

«Artemis II, we’re going to launch in a matter of weeks [and] go around the Moon,» Isaacman explained. «Artemis III will launch by mid 2027 with the aim to buy down risk and low Earth orbit for subsequent [Moon] landing attempts in 2028.»

The Artemis program was initially established by President Donald Trump during his first term in December 2017. 

Isaacman is seeking to complete four Artemis missions under his tenure at the agency, while the Biden administration successfully completed just one non-manned test flight in 2022.

The NASA administrator was critical of the Biden administration for the delay in launches, telling Fox News Digital «the previous administration didn’t make any decisions over the last four years that need to be done.»

INSIDE NASA’S FAST-TRACK PLANS FOR LUNAR NUCLEAR POWER AND NEW SPACE STATIONS TO OUTPACE GLOBAL RIVALS

Jared Isaacman defended the Artemis delays as necessary adjustments, criticizing the Biden administration for inaction and emphasizing a faster, more consistent launch cadence to build a sustained lunar presence. (REUTERS/Joe Skipper)

«That’s being corrected now,» Isaacaman said. «You need to standardize, you need to launch with cadence. That’s how you get back to the moon. That’s how you stay. President Trump’s 100% behind that.»

Artemis II was scheduled to launch in early February, though the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was transferred from the launchpad back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to repair a helium leak on Wednesday.

In response to the Artemis II delay, the administrator also pointed out that the three-year delay between the Biden administration’s last successful Artemis mission and the current one set the agency back.

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«You can’t launch a rocket this complex and important every three years, and expect to get it right,» Isaacman added. «There’s just, there’s just no muscle memory there. There’s going to be mistakes.»

«We’re not going to rush this, because, clearly, we’re, again, we’re relearning the same lessons, which means we didn’t get the technical root cause last time, three years ago,» Isaacman said. «We’re hoping, in a matter of days, we’ll have our arms around [Artemis II].» 

The agency plans to complete four Moon missions during President Donald Trump’s second term.  (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Isaacman said that the current launch window for Artemis II is set for early April.

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The 43-year-old billionaire was sworn in as the administrator of the space agency last December. Isaacman himself is a space fanatic, having commanded the first ever commercial spacewalk in September 2024. 

In the less than one hundred days that he has served as administrator, Isaacman has been vocal about his dedication to Trump’s mission to return Americans to the surface of the Moon and beyond — a daunting task for a mission that was last completed during Apollo 17 in 1972, more than half a century ago. 

«The approach we were taking is the right way, and it’s consistent with NASA’s history,» Isaacman told Fox News Digital. «We didn’t go right to Apollo 11. We launched with frequency, and we continued to learn and buy down risk.»

America has not landed on the Moon since 1972. (Getty Images)

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«NASA, throughout our history, has launched, on average, every three months, our design vehicles from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, through space shuttle. Apollo 8 launched less than two months after Apollo 7’s splashdown,» Isaacaman said. 

«This is how you get back to the Moon and be able to stay,» the NASA administrator added.

He also noted that funding for the missions and resources needed for success already exist at the agency, and that «we got everything we need.»

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One of the key components to ensuring the completion of each Artemis mission is labor, and Isaacman took issue with the large number of contractors that work with the space agency, yet are not employed by NASA itself. 

Jared Isaacman, who has been outspoken about his support for President Donald Trump’s plan to return to the Moon, was sworn in as NASA administrator last December.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

When asked if he planned on transitioning contractors to NASA employees, Isaacman said, «100%.»

«One of the first observations I had in the job after visiting every one of the NASA centers is all of the core competencies that we either outsourced or lost over the years,» Isaacman explained. «Contractors are great and should contribute to NASA in areas that we are not supposed to be the best in the world at.»

«But when we’re talking about launchpad, launch control, mission control in Houston, those should be civil servants,» Isaacman told Fox News Digital. «That should be a core competency in NASA. We should be the best in the world at it. We are going to exercise the workforce directive that went out weeks ago to convert contractors to civil servants, rebuild core competencies.»

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The NASA administrator said that top companies who provide contractors, like Boeing, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, have told him that they support the timeline that would ultimately achieve Trump’s vision of returning mankind to the Moon. 

«We have universal support in this,» Isaacman explained. «Support from every one of the prime contractors in this program. Lockheed, Boeing, ULA, SpaceX, Blue Origin and all of the congressional leaders that have space equities understand that this is the way back to the Moon.»

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

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