The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles
were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning.
Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv.
Israel told residents in a southwestern area of Tehran to
evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Iranian
news websites said Israel was attacking a university linked to Iran's
Revolutionary Guards in the east of the capital.
Iranian news websites said Israel was also attacking a
university linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the country's east, and the
Khojir ballistic missile facility near Tehran, which was also targeted by
Israeli airstrikes last October.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence says
Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the Middle East.
Iran has said its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory
force against the US, Israel and other potential regional targets.
Trump warned on social media on Tuesday that US patience was
wearing thin. While he said there was no intention to kill Iran's leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "for now," his comments suggested a more
aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement.
"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader'
is hiding," he wrote on Truth Social. "We are not going to take him
out (kill!), at least not for now ... Our patience is wearing thin."
Three minutes later Trump posted, "Unconditional Surrender!"
Trump's
contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close US ally
Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the
crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic
overtures, not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to
foreign policy.
A
source familiar with internal discussions said Trump and his team are
considering a number of options, including joining Israel on strikes against
Iranian nuclear sites.
A White House official said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday.
Trump also met for 90 minutes with his National Security
Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official
said. Details were not immediately available.
The US
is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending
the deployment of other warplanes. The US has so far only taken indirect
actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down
missiles fired toward Israel.
A source with access to US intelligence reports said Iran
has moved some ballistic missile launchers, but it is difficult to determine if
they were targeting US forces or Israel.
