World
US readiness plays 'significant' role in fending off Iranian attack on Israel
The “significant” role the U.S. played in helping Israel fend off Iran’s aerial assault on Tuesday came just hours after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that the U.S. had “increased force readiness” and stood ready.
“This is a significant escalation by Iran,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday. “It is equally significant that we were able to step up with Israel and create a situation in which no one was killed in this attack in Israel.”
The comments were made following massive missile strike fired by Iran in which some 180 missiles were fired at Israel.
According to Iranian state media, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack was in retaliation for the Friday assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed alongside IRGC commander and military advisor Brig. Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, as well as Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas who was killed in July during a visit to Tehran.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, October 1, 2024. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY
“In response to the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah and Martyr Nilfroshan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories,” the IRGC said in a statement reported by Iranian media. “If the Zionist regime reacts to Iran’s operations, it will face crushing attacks.”
Following the attacks, Israel closed its airspace, residents in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were ordered to shelter in place and the Israeli security cabinet said it would convene Tuesday night in a bunker in Jerusalem, according to Israeli news outlet the Jerusalem Post.
It remains unclear if Iranian missiles had made contact with any targets, though the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) told Fox News Digital that no casualties were yet known.
A map showing the positions of U.S. Navy assets in the Middle East.
In a statement to Fox News, a U.S. defense official said, “[In] accordance with our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, U.S. forces in the region are currently defending against Iranian-launched missiles targeting Israel.
“Our forces remain postured to provide additional defensive support and to protect U.S. forces operating in the region,” the official added.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, standing right, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, standing left, listen to the playing of the Israeli National Anthem during an arrival ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (P Photo/Susan Walsh)
ISRAELI MINISTERS FRUSTRATED OVER US, IDF LEAK ON LEBANON OPERATION: REPORT
Earlier on Tuesday, the Pentagon said in a readout regarding the second call Austin has held with Gallant in the last 24 hours, that the secretary “made it clear that the United States is well-postured to defend U.S. personnel, allies, and partners in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations and is determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region.”
Three U.S. guided-missile destroyers have been positioned off the eastern Mediterranean to help defend Israel, including the USS Arleigh Burke, USS Bulkeley and USS Cole — which reportedly played a closely coordinated role in defending against the Iranian attack on Tuesday.
“Today, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards targets in Israel. The United States military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to help defend Israel against this attack,” Sullivan said. “U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli Air Defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles.”
In April, during the last major attack that Iran levied at Israel when it fired more than 300 drones and missiles, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Carney shot down more than 81 attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles using guided-missile destroyers.
The ballistic missiles were shot down using the SM-3 ballistic missile interceptors from the ships that were also positioned in the eastern Mediterranean at the time. The SM-3 has a range of up to 1,550 miles.
Israel has several of its own defense systems outside of what its offshore allies provide, including the infamous Iron Dome which is designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of two to 43 miles away.
Rockets fly in the sky, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, October 1, 2024. (REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
But it also has systems that are capable of stopping missiles fired from greater distances, like its Arrow Missile Defense System, which can intercept missiles fired from up to 1,500 miles away and above the earth’s atmosphere.
The air defense system known as David’s Sling is also designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium to long-range rockets and cruise missiles fired at a range of 25 to 190 miles away.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that it was believed the Iranian strikes had stopped, and told Israelis it was safe to leave their shelters.
“During the defense, we carried out quite a few interceptions. There are some impacts in the center and areas in the south of the country,” Hagari said Tuesday night local time. “At this stage we are still carrying out an assessment [of the attack], but we are unaware of casualties.”
new video loaded: Ebola Comes for Congo’s Most Vulnerable Children
transcript
transcript
Ebola Comes for Congo’s Most Vulnerable Children
The arrival of a sick newborn at Saint Nicholas Orphanage in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo set off an Ebola outbreak that quickly spread among the country’s most vulnerable. Local health authorities are now monitoring the children’s home, but at least two babies have already died.
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These Congolese children are re-entering the world after five days of isolation. It’s the first year of their lives, and they’re at the center of a deadly Ebola outbreak. The babies are all orphans who were brought to this hospital after showing symptoms of the virus. They’ve just tested negative and are being taken to a temporary home. But at least two other babies from the same orphanage have died. What happened to them has been a worst-case scenario for health officials trying to stop Ebola from spreading to young children. The alarms went off in late May here at Saint Nicholas children’s home after the arrival of a newborn girl, Patience, who quickly developed a fever. We were given a tour of the orphanage, where nearly 70 children plus their caretakers live. A pediatrician tracked baby Patience’s mother’s case and learned that she had Ebola when she died. Days later, Patience died, too. She was 9 days old. This was one of the last photos taken of her while she was still alive. It’s unclear whether the family knew she could be infected. The relative who brought her to Saint Nicholas declined to talk to us when we reached him by phone. By the time anyone at the orphanage understood the danger, some of the staff had already held and cared for Patience. Soon, more children were showing symptoms of the virus. When we visited the Ebola treatment ward, this 10-month-old seemed to be getting better. Baby Elysée was being cared for by Sister Cecile Nube, one of three staff members at the orphanage who also tested positive. Even while sick herself, Sister Nube stayed by Elysée’s side, feeding her, giving her medicine and watching over her. Elisée died 24 hours after we met her. A reminder of how quickly the disease can turn, especially for babies. Now Saint Nicholas is under quarantine. Every day, contact tracers visit the orphanage, checking the children and their caretakers for fevers. “Some of them today are presenting a little bit higher temperature, but they are OK at the moment.” The concern is that one infection here could quickly become many. “It could have been a recipe of disaster. It’s a very classic situation where Ebola can very fastly devastate the community. They are playing together and they are spending the whole day together. So it’s spreading from one person to the next. And for zero time you’ll see the entire community being infected.” For now, the orphanage remains under watch. It’s still a refuge for children who need shelter and care even as every new symptom raises the fear that the virus could still be spreading.
By Bethlehem Feleke, Michael Anthony Adams, Yasu Tsuji and Jon Hazell
June 13, 2026
World
Mexican authorities discover body in trunk near Iranian soccer team’s World Cup training grounds: report
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Mexican authorities discovered a decomposing corpse with “signs of violence” near Tijuana’s Caliente Stadium, where the Iranian national soccer team is training during the World Cup, according to a New York Post report.
Authorities responded to complaints about a bad smell wafting from a gray Toyota SUV with California plates parked in a grocery store parking lot near the stadium, the Post reported.
“Upon inspecting the vehicle, they found a person wrapped in a black bag in the trunk, showing signs of violence,” a spokesperson for the Tijuana prosecutor’s office told the Post.
According to the report, the car had a damaged back end and was equipped with a license plate holder from a Tijuana car dealership.
HIDDEN TUNNEL DISCOVERED IN TIJUANA MAY HAVE SUPPORTED CROSS-BORDER TRAFFICKING OPERATIONS
Forensic workers inspect a car where a body was allegedly found at a parking lot close to Caliente stadium, where Iran’s national football team trains, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico on June 12, 2026. (Guillermo Arias / AFP via Getty Images)
Mexican officials could be seen wearing white jumpsuits while collecting evidence from the car in photos taken from the scene.
Forensic workers inspect a car where a body was allegedly found at a parking lot close to Caliente stadium, where Iran’s national football team trains, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico on June 12, 2026. (Guillermo Arias / AFP via Getty Images)
TSUNAMI OF SEWAGE FROM MEXICO BARRELS TOWARD US COASTLINE, OFFICIALS WARN
Tijuana, located just across the U.S.-Mexico border from San Diego, California, is frequently rated as one of the most violent cities in the world.
Iran soccer players pose for a team photo before a friendly match against Costa Rica in Antalya, Turkey, on March 31, 2026. (Riza Ozel/AP)
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Iran’s national team is training at Caliente Stadium in preparation for their upcoming World Cup game against New Zealand in Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on Monday.
Ahead of attending the long-awaited G7 summit in Évian, US President Donald Trump has announced a peace deal with Iran could be finalised on Sunday, paving the way for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
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“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
Donald Trump also says the US will take Iran’s enriched uranium ‘dust’ when ‘all is calm’.
Trump’s statement, however, ran counter to Iran’s foreign ministry which indicated earlier in the day that the deal would not be signed on Sunday, according to state media reports.
Earlier, Pakistan’s prime minister said on Saturday that a peace deal between the United States and Iran is likely to be finalised within the next 24 hours.
Writing on X, Shehbaz Sharif said: “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before”.
But Trump’s post also contained a warning to the Islamic Republic to fully implement the plan or face serious consequences.
“Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly,” the US president wrote. “If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!”
Throughout the negotiations Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium.
Trump’s post does not mention Israel and the war in Lebanon, nor the US blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz which so far have been the Iranian leadership’s two key demands for any peace agreement.
Trump appears to offer an olive branch to the Iranian leadership by saying that the “relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous administrations had,” and that “we look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future,” signalling a significant change in the US messaging after the prior threatening statements.
Trump mentions “hopefully” when he expresses his wish for the process to “work out quickly, easily and smoothly,” given how complicated the peace negotiations have been, and he states that military options remain on the table, calling it “the ultimate alternative,” which he hopes “never to be used again.” Another key Iranian demand has been the assurance that the US and Israel will never attack Iran again.
The status of US-Iran talks aimed at ending the Middle East war will be a dominant concern at the G7 summit, as will the be the war in Ukraine.
Trump to work with Zelenskyy, says official
Trump will take part in a G7 working session with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in France on Tuesday, but no bilateral meeting between the two is scheduled, a senior administration official said.
“On Tuesday morning, President Trump will participate in a working session with G7 leaders and President Zelensky of Ukraine,” the official told reporters Saturday on condition of anonymity.
The G7 summit will take place in Evian on June 15-17, and Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings on its sidelines with French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and India, the official said.
Trump is also scheduled to dine at the Versailles palace west of Paris with Macron on Wednesday evening, after the summit wraps up.
The dinner is a way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence in a “landmark of Franco-American friendship where the treaty establishing the independence of the United States was signed in 1783,” according to Macron’s office.
Trump has shifted his attention away from efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February.
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