Iran, Israel trade attacks as casualties reported on both sides

Freelance journalist Rolene Marks told NewsNation that people in Israel are being allowed to leave bomb shelters.

“We can exit shelters but must stay close,” she said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the country is launching a forceful response to Israeli attacks.

“In response to the aggression and criminal assault carried out this morning by the savage, terrorist, and child-killing Zionist regime on areas within the Islamic Republic of Iran—resulting in the martyrdom of several senior military commanders, prominent scientists, and innocent civilians, especially defenseless children—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as the defensive and offensive arm of the Iranian nation, has launched a forceful and precise retaliation,” the statement said.

A source on the ground told NewsNation a third round of missiles is headed to the country as Iran retaliates for strikes on its nuclear facilities.

There have been at least seven hits in Tel Aviv so far, a source on the ground told NewsNation as the country braced for missiles from Iran.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Israel of Iran’s retaliation on X.

“The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, a grave error, and committed a reckless act. By God’s grace, the consequences of this will bring that regime to ruin,” he said.

Rolene Marks, a freelance journalist based in Modi’in, Israel, spoke to NewsNation from her shelter.

“We are in our shelters. We have had one first wave of attacks. We see something has fallen in Tel Aviv. We don’t know what it is; it could be shrapnel. We are waiting to find out,” she said.

Although the reporter is in her home’s bomb shelter she expressed she is unafraid, saying she “has all the faith in our defense forces,” she said.

The Israel Defense Forces announced that Iran has fired missiles and all of Israel is under fire.

Citizens have been told to obey Home From Command instructions and move to shelters.

The Israel Defense Forces announced it has attacked a nuclear site in the Isfahan region of Iran.

“The site is undergoing a process of ‘reconversion’ of enriched uranium. This is the next stage after uranium enrichment in the process of producing nuclear weapons. The attack destroyed a structure for producing metallic uranium, infrastructure for converting enriched uranium, laboratories, and other infrastructure,” the IDF said on X.

American fighter jets are patrolling in the Middle East to protect U.S. personnel and installations, according to a U.S. official.

Delta airlines announced it is suspending flights from New York to Tel Aviv through Aug. 31 in response to the conflict.

Impacted passengers will be notified by the airline.

Other international airlines have also begun canceling flights in the region.

President Donald Trump has begun meeting with his national security team in the Situation Room following Israeli strikes on Iran

White House Envoy Steve Witkoff is in the room and is still hoping to have talks with Iran on a nuclear deal.

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces, said on X that civilians should be prepared.

“We are continuing with all our might and at a high pace in order to meet the goals we have set for ourselves. There will be more difficult moments, we need to be prepared for the variety of scenarios we have prepared for, high readiness and discipline are required on the civilian home front,” he said.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued a statement of support for Israel and condemned Iran and its proxies.

“There must be no daylight between the United States and allies and partners defending their sovereignty, democracy, and way of life against theocratic or authoritarian aggression. America must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. And Iran’s remaining leaders must recognize that the time has come to abandon their decades-long obsession with terror and nuclear war,” McConnell said.

Israel struck a key site in Iran’s nuclear development in its operation Thursday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency announced that radiation levels in the Natanz area are not a danger at this time.

“Radiation levels outside the Natanz facility remained unchanged. The type of radioactive contamination present inside the facility, mainly alpha particles, can be managed with appropriate protective measures.” — DG @rafaelmgrossi

Jewish News Syndicate CEO Alex Traiman told NewsNation that Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden made this day possible, accusing them of allowing Iran to “advance their nuclear program and fund their terror proxies.”

Spokesperson Lin Jian said China is “deeply worried” about the consequences of Israel’s strikes on Iran.

“China opposes any infringement on Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes actions that escalate tensions and expand the conflict,” he said.

In a phone call with NBC, President Donald Trump said Israel’s attacks could provide Iran with a second chance at negotiating a nuclear deal.

He said Iran was already reaching out to him regarding talks, though he did not provide names of specific officials.

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the attack at 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, as requested by Iran.

In a letter, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the attack a declaration of war and said that Israel had crossed a red line.

Mike Nelson, a retired special forces lieutenant colonel with extensive experience in the U.S. Central Command region and currently a member of the Atlantic Council’s Counterterrorism Project told NewsNation, “You’re seeing so many of the friends Iran thought they could count on, both other bad actors states or their own regional proxies, are leaving them on their own …

“As far as Hezbollah, they are still rebuilding from their previous decimation and therefore have neither the capability or desire to mount a response on Iran’s behalf. Iran is likely to try and find some face-saving attempt at retaliation, like their previous attempts with missile and drone attacks, and like the drone attack this morning, but they won’t be able to do much in the near term. I think they will seek asymmetric attempts at revenge sometime in the future,” Nelson said.

Military assets are being shifted toward the Middle East as the U.S. prepares for possible retaliatory attacks by Iran.

The USS Thomas Hudner has been directed toward the Eastern Mediterranean, and another destroyer has been told to move forward in case the ships are needed, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. stocks took a tumble Friday morning, opening lower as investors were rattled by the news of Israel’s overnight strikes on Israel.

Crude oil prices also spiked.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been speaking with world leaders since the evening hours, including the chancellor of Germany, the prime minister of India, and the president of France. Later, he is expected to speak with President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The leaders have expressed understanding of Israel’s defense needs in the face of Iran’s existential threat. Netanyahu said he would remain in ongoing contact with them in the coming days.

Rolene Marks, a freelance journalist based in Modi’in, Israel, told NewsNation on Friday, “At the moment we’ve just had sirens in the north of Israel and in Metula, Kiryat, Shmonah and the surrounding areas.

Earlier today, Hezbollah condemned Israel’s strike in Iran but said they would not act on Iran’s behalf against Israel, so we are waiting for more information.

At the moment, everything is very, very quiet and very tense in Israel. We are all very close to our safe areas, public gatherings are being cancelled, schools have been shut, synagogues will be closed tonight, clinics are closed, entertainment is closed.

At the moment, we are in a state of emergency, and prepared for any eventuality.”

Marks said she is currently in her safe room, and they are being told to stay home.

She said earlier this morning, “the IDF’s Home Front Command gave us a warning to get into our shelters and that came with a siren and earlier this morning there were reports of about a 100 drones headed from Iran towards Israel that were all shutdown by multiple air forces, and at the moment we are still in a state of emergency and we will be in for the next couple of days or for ever how long this operation takes.”

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed shooting down two drones from Iran that set off sirens.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces announced part of Thursday night’s strikes included attacks on surface-to-surface missile storage facilities.

“Throughout the war, the Iranian regime has fired hundreds of surface-to-surface missiles toward the territory of the State of Israel. The destruction of missiles constitutes a vital mission in the effort to defend the citizens of the State of Israel.

“The Iranian regime’s missile arsenal includes missiles with ranges of thousands of kilometers. Leaving these missiles in the hands of the Iranian regime poses a danger to the region and the entire world,” the statement said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel’s attack was a violation of international law and called it “blatant provocation” in a post on X.

He suggested the operation was an attempt to divert attention from Israel’s recent attacks in Gaza.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that his country is standing ready to support de-escalation of the conflict.

“To avoid jeopardizing the stability of the entire region, I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to de-escalate,” he said.

President Donald Trump expressed support for Israel’s attack on a call with CNN’s Dana Bash, who posted the exchange on X.

The president said the White House supports Israel like “nobody has ever supported it,” Bash reported, and continued to urge a nuclear deal.

He referred to people he was dealing with as hardliners, though he declined to specify which people he meant, and urged Iran to make a deal “before it’s too late.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Israel’s attack “criminal” and said he would address the public “soon.”

“God willing, the Zionist regime will regret its action today,” Pezeshkian wrote on X.

Israeli strikes damaged Iran’s nuclear enrichment facility in the city of Natanz, according to multiple reports. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said no nuclear radiation or chemical contamination had occurred as of noon local time.

The IDF also confirmed the site was damaged, specifically the underground area. Israel’s military posted to X: “Critical infrastructure enabling the site’s continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targeted.”

The Israeli military said it has completed a widespread attack on air defenses in western Iran, according to Associated Press reporting. Since the strike, several major international airlines have canceled, delayed and redirected flights in the Middle East.