As hostilities continue to rage between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran, U.S. Ambassador to the Jewish state Mike Huckabee has indicated work is underway to provide options for Americans who want to evacuate.

‘American Citizens wanting to evacuate Israel: Sign up at https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step to be on list. We’re working to get military, commercial, charter flights & cruise ships for evac. If you’re offered a seat, take it. Family in Israel? Tell them stay close to shelter & don’t ignore sirens!’ Huckabee noted in a post on X.

Like prior notices in recent days, the U.S. Embassy in Israel noted in a June 19 security alert it is directing all U.S. government employees and their families to keep sheltering in place.

‘We will alert the U.S. citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding departure options,’ the notice states. ‘If you are a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident currently in Israel or the West Bank and seeking U.S. government assistance to depart, please complete this form so the Department of State can better assist you and provide you with timely updates: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake.’

The notice explained that, in the event the government provides assistance to Americans seeking to leave Israel, travelers would be expected to repay Uncle Sam but would not be required to pay up front before departing Israel. 

‘If the U.S. government provides departure assistance from Israel, options would most likely include travel to a nearby, safe country. We do not provide direct travel to the United States. You will be responsible for your onward travel after arriving in the nearby, safe country. Consular officers will be available to assist you on arrival with consular services, including a loan to repatriate to the United States if you wish to do so and qualify,’ the notice explains.

‘If the U.S. government provides departure assistance from Israel, you do not need to pay before you board, but you will be expected to sign a promissory note to repay the U.S. government. We will tell you the estimated amount you will be expected to repay before you travel. Pets cannot accompany you,’ it also notes.

Another security alert issued Thursday noted, ‘The Department of State is always planning for contingencies to assist with private U.S. citizens’ departure from crisis areas. We will alert the U.S. citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding departure options. U.S. citizens should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive the latest updates.’

President Donald Trump has not ruled out the possibility of American military intervention to help Israel stamp out Iranian efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

‘AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!’ he declared in a Truth Social post Monday.

Several Boeing 747s have been spotted on radar leaving China for Iran over the last week, according to reports, sparking concerns that the CCP is helping the Middle Eastern nation transport cargo or people out of the country as Israel continues to strike the country’s nuclear facilities. 

Starting on June 14th, FlightRadar24 shows that at least five flights traveled from China to Iran, and The Telegraph reported that the ‘mystery transport planes’ had flown westward along northern China before crossing into Kazakhstan, south through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and then fell off radar as they approached Iran. 

Additionally, the report indicated that the flights had a final destination of Luxembourg but don’t appear to have ever crossed into European airspace.

Some experts have speculated that these types of planes are typically used for transport and could be evidence of China aiding its longtime ally Iran during the conflict with Israel, although Fox News Digital has not independently confirmed the nature of the flights. 

‘I think it’s important to remember what the relationship is, forty-three percent of China’s oil and gas comes from the Middle East, a large volume of that from Iran,’ Robert Greenway, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, told ‘The Ingraham Angle’ on Wednesday night. 

‘It likes to buy sanctioned oil below market value, and that fuels the Chinese economy and also its military ambitions, and so, that’s the central relationship. They’ve been relatively quiet – in fact, extremely quiet – about the current conflict and coming to Iran’s assistance. We also know that a large fire in Bandar-Bas port was Chinese solid propellant for missiles that exploded and created a tremendous amount of damage just about a month ago. I think it’s unlikely to see Chinese arms shipments under the circumstances to Iran. It’s more likely that Iran may be removing material or personnel or regime valuables to safe haven in light of the conflict. I think that’s probably the extent to which China is willing to accept the risk associated with the current circumstances.’

In 2021, Fox News Digital reported that Tehran and Beijing signed a 25-year cooperation deal amidst great fanfare in the Iranian capital. University of Tehran Professor Mohammad Marandi, who is close to the regime, told Fox News that it is about much more than what’s on paper. 

‘This strategic partnership is important because it allows Iran and China to build a roadmap for long-term relations that will be much more fruitful,’ he said. ‘It’s also a signal being sent to the United States. The more the U.S. tries to isolate Iran and China, the more it causes countries like Iran and China to move more closely to each other.’

Some have cast doubt on the flights representing a nefarious connection between the two nations, including Atlantic Council fellow Tuvia Gering who posted on X that an aviation expert told him the flights are ‘nothing to write home about.’ 

‘There are regular cargo flights by the Luxembourg-based freight company from several locations in China to Europe, with a stopover in Turkmenistan (just a few dozen kilometers from the Iranian border),’ Gering wrote. 

‘Some flight tracking websites lose the tracking signal shortly before landing and continue to show a projected route that appears to enter Iranian airspace. The sites clearly indicate that this is an estimated path; checking the aircraft tail numbers shows they take off again from Turkmenistan a few hours later, and reviewing the flight history of these routes shows they always land in Ashgabat and do not continue into Iran. All this is before even considering the obvious logic that a major European cargo company is highly unlikely to be the channel through which China transfers its super-advanced, top-secret strategic weapons to Iran.’

Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated significantly in recent days, with the United States contemplating whether it will get directly involved in striking Iran. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and he is expected to meet with national security and defense leaders again on Thursday. 

‘Yes, I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate,’ Trump said Wednesday. 

‘And I said, why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction? Why didn’t you go? I said to people, why didn’t you negotiate with me two weeks ago? You could have done fine. You would have had a country. It’s very sad to watch this,’ the president added.

U.S. troops based in the Middle East could face increased attacks in the coming days or weeks, should the U.S. decide to become involved in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will move forward and strike Iranian nuclear facilities. 

‘Yes, I may do it. I may not do it,’ Trump said Wednesday. ‘I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.’ 

Meanwhile, Iran has issued a clear message: Doing so will come with consequences. Iran has cautioned that the U.S. will suffer if it chooses to become involved in the conflict, and previously issued retaliatory strikes against bases where U.S. troops were housed after the U.S. killed a top Iranian general in 2020. 

‘The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,’ Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday, according to state media. 

The Pentagon has bolstered its forces in the Middle East in light of the growing tensions, including sending the aircraft carrier Nimitz from the South China Sea to join the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the Middle East. 

The Pentagon referred Fox News Digital to Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell’s Monday statement that American forces remain in a ‘defensive posture’ and Hegseth’s announcement Monday that more forces had been deployed to the Middle East. 

‘Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,’ Hegseth said Monday. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., pressed Hegseth Wednesday for details regarding what contingency plans are in place from drones amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Three U.S. service members were killed in an unmanned drone attack in Jordan in January 2024 that was attributed to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-backed militia. 

‘I have no assurance that we have the capacity to safeguard against a swarm of small, lightweight, slow-moving drones that are, in my view, our major vulnerability, and right now, if we engaged in the Iran conflict, would put us and U.S. personnel at risk there,’ Blumenthal said Wednesday. 

The U.S. currently has more than 40,000 U.S. troops and Defense Department civilians stationed in the Middle East. Here are some of the countries where U.S. military personnel are based and could face heightened threats:

Iraq 

Roughly 2,500 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Iraq as of September 2024, and are assigned to Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, according to the Department of Defense. Their role in Iraq involves advising and supporting partner forces in the region to defeat ISIS. 

Following the 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Iranian forces launched ballistic missile attacks at Erbil Air Base and Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, where U.S. troops are stationed. 

Jordan

About 350 U.S. troops are deployed to Jordan at a remote military base known as Tower 22, according to the Department of Defense. 

In January 2024, three soldiers were killed and another 40 were injured when a one-way uncrewed aerial system struck Tower 22. 

In May, ten New York Army National Guard soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries they suffered in the attack. The Pentagon blamed an Iranian-backed militia for the attack. 

Kuwait

The U.S. currently operates five bases in Kuwait: Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Camp Buehring, Camp Patriot and Camp Spearhead. 

As of January, approximately 13,500 U.S. troops are based there and primarily are focused on eliminating the threat of ISIS, according to the U.S. State Department. 

Qatar 

Qatar hosts U.S. Central Command’s forward headquarters at Al Udeid Air Base, home of the Air Force’s 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which Air Forces Central Command has dubbed the ‘largest and most diverse wing’ within the command. The wing includes airlift, aerial refueling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and aeromedical evacuation assets, according to Air Forces Central Command. 

Bahrain 

Naval Forces Central Command is based out of Manama, Bahrain, where it spearheads a coalition of regional and international partners that are focused on supporting task forces targeting counterterrorism, counter-piracy and maritime security in the region. 

The Navy first established a base in Bahrain in 1971, which has hosted Naval Forces Central Command since 1983. 

United Arab Emirates

Just 20 miles south of the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi is Al Dhafra Air Base, home of the Air Force’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. 

The wing includes unmanned aircraft including the RQ-4 Global Hawk, a remotely piloted surveillance aircraft. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision on the U.S. becoming involved in Israel’s conflict with Iran within the next two weeks. 

‘I have a message directly from the president, and I quote, ‘based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Leavitt said at a White House briefing quoting Trump.

‘That’s a quote directly from the president for all of you today.’

‘He’s been very clear,’ she added. ‘Iran went for 60 days when he gave them that a 60-day warning without coming to the table. On day 61, Israel took action against Iran. And as I just told you from the president directly, he will make a decision within two weeks in.’

Leavitt said that there have been six rounds of direct and indirect negotiations with Iran. She said that talks continue but declined to provide details.

Asked if Trump would strike Iran if negotiations fail, Leavitt repeatedly said the president would make a decision ‘whether or not to go’ within the next two weeks.

WATCH: Karoline Leavitt pressed on ramifications of Trump’s Middle East foreign policy

When pressed about the reliability of that timeline, given previous delays on other global matters, Leavitt said the conflicts are different. 

‘President Trump inherited global instability from the last administration. He is always interested in diplomacy but not afraid to use strength,’ Leavitt said. 

Leavitt insisted that Iran cannot attain a nuclear bomb, a position repeatedly stated by Trump and Israel.

‘The president’s top priority is ensuring that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and providing peace and stability in the Middle East.’

Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday, targeting its nuclear facilities and taking out some of the country’s top military generals. Iran has been respnseinf hitting Tel Aviv and other locations.

An Iranian missile barrage hit the Soroka Hospital on Thursday morning, injuring more than 70 people, Israel said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

Israel’s military campaign in Iran has already produced ‘enormous achievements,’ according to experts tracking the conflict, with many citing the operation as the payoff for years of preparation, battlefield innovation and intelligence development.

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a leading voice on U.S. policy toward Iran, called Israel’s progress ‘a resounding military win.’

‘They’ve actually dominated the Iranian military,’ Dubowitz told Fox News Digital. ‘They’ve taken out many senior military leaders, the Iranian Air Force, and a significant percentage of missile launchers and ballistic inventory.’

Still, Iran’s retaliation is taking a toll. On Thursday morning, an Iranian missile struck Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba and targeted several major cities, injuring hundreds.  Despite the heavy costs, military experts insist that the IDF continues to hold the upper hand, both tactically and strategically.

Comparing the scale of success to the Six-Day War, Dubowitz said, ‘It’s starting to look like 1967, when the Israelis eviscerated five Arab armies. It may take longer than six days, but they’re certainly on that trajectory.’

Hilla Hadad-Chmelnik, a strategist at ‘Mind Israel’ think tank and former CEO of the Ministry of Innovation, noted that the success is no accident — it is the result of ‘years of preparation in every aspect.’ From developing long-range strike capabilities to building an unparalleled intelligence apparatus and adapting operational doctrines from Gaza and Lebanon, she said the IDF’s current dominance is a product of both innovation and experience.

‘This is not a campaign someone decided to do six months ago,’ she said. ‘This is years of work — in intelligence, in weapons development, in defensive and offensive operations. The methods we tested against Hezbollah — striking command chains quickly and precisely — were studied, refined, and applied here.’

She pointed to lessons learned in Gaza, especially the importance of rapidly identifying and eliminating rocket launchers before strikes even begin. ‘We learned through hard fighting that you have to neutralize launchers, not just intercept the missiles. And that doctrine — developed in Gaza where targets are five minutes away — has now been adapted to Iran, with all the complexity that entails.’

Hadad-Chmelnik stressed that Israel’s control over Iranian skies is ‘stunning … the Air Force is flying over Iran day after day. Drones are holding the skies.’

Even with the heavy toll taken when Iran’s missiles get through, like the attack against Soroka hospital on Thursday, she credited the country’s defensive systems, like Iron Dome and David’s Sling — systems she helped develop — which intercepted missile salvos with over 90% effectiveness, even amid unprecedented barrages. ‘This is a war of a different scale, and yet the systems are holding,’ she said.

Dubowitz acknowledged that despite massive gains, one key target remains: the Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, buried under a mountain at a Revolutionary Guard base.

‘Israel has devastated Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. They’ve eliminated 14 senior nuclear scientists — the ‘Oppenheimers’ of Iran’s program,’ he said. ‘But Fordow remains. And if it’s left standing, Iran can rebuild.’

While Dubowitz clarified that he is not explicitly calling for U.S. military strikes, he said that ‘President Trump must ensure Fordow is fully dismantled — whether through a diplomatic agreement or, if Iran refuses, a targeted military intervention.’

He outlined three potential paths: ‘One, Iran shows up for a real deal and the program is dismantled. Two, Trump strikes Fordow. Three, Trump strikes and then negotiates. But either way, it has to end with Iran losing its nuclear weapons capability — not just temporarily, but permanently.’

Hadad-Chmelnik, believes Israel’s success has created an opportunity for the United States.

‘Thanks to the phenomenal achievements of the IDF, the situation is now very clear. If the U.S. were to join at this point, with Fordow as the main remaining target and most assets already degraded, it would not look like getting pulled into a quagmire,’ she said. ‘This is nothing like Ukraine or Afghanistan. There’s an actual path to decisive success, and that can change the political calculus in Washington.’

Dubowitz added that Israel’s offensive struck not only military and nuclear targets, but also Iran’s internal security infrastructure — including state media and the regime’s repressive arms. for that, he said, could open the door for future domestic unrest. ‘We can’t expect people to protest while missiles are falling. But if Israel continues striking the regime’s tools of repression, space may open for Iranians to return to the streets.’

Dubowitz, who has spent two decades warning of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, reflected on the moment with cautious hope. ‘I’m heartened to see the long arm of Israeli justice reach those responsible for such brutal aggression,’ he said. 

‘This may be a historic opportunity to truly end Iran’s nuclear threat, and perhaps even to support the Iranian people in reclaiming their future,’ he added, ‘There have been incredible achievements, but if Fordow is left standing by President Donald Trump, then it could end up being a Pyrrhic victory.’

A judge slapped two men who pleaded guilty in connection with a voting fraud scheme with tougher prison sentences than the government had even requested.

‘In the court’s view, there are very few crimes in our federal code which are more serious than what you have committed,’ Judge Harvey Bartle III scolded former Millbourne Borough Council vice president Md Nurul Hasan, according to Votebeat. ‘What you have done is undermine our democratic process.’

Hasan pleaded guilty to charges after engaging in an election fraud scheme while he was running for mayor in 2021, but the plot to subvert the will of voters did not even work — Hasan still lost the mayoral race.

‘The defendants’ efforts to steal the election for defendant MD NURUL HASAN were ultimately unsuccessful, as defendant HASAN still lost the general election by a vote of approximately 165 to 138,’ the indictment declares.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania press release, ‘Hasan … pleaded guilty in April to all 33 charges against him — one count of conspiracy, 16 counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and 16 counts of fraudulent voter registration. He was sentenced to 36 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $3,300 special assessment.’

That prison time exceeds the government’s request for 18 to 24 months of imprisonment.

Hasan resigned from the council earlier this year after he entered his plea, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.

Former council member MD Rafikul Islam, who ‘pleaded guilty in April to all seven charges against him — one count of conspiracy, three counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and three counts of fraudulent voter registration,’ has been ‘sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, one year of supervised release, $1,000 fine, and a $700 special assessment.’

That prison time exceeds the government’s request for zero to six months of imprisonment.

The federal judge with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania was nominated by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

Md Munsur Ali — who is currently listed online as a member of the Millbourne Borough council — has also pleaded guilty in the case.

He is slated to be sentenced next week, according to the press release.

‘Ali, a member of the Millbourne Borough Council, pleaded guilty in April to all 25 charges against him — one count of conspiracy, 12 counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and 12 counts of fraudulent voter registration. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26,’ the release notes.