Crisis Deepens: Drone Attacks, Airstrikes, and Rising Tensions Across the Middle East

The conflict between Israel and Iran continues to expand, with American forces and diplomatic sites now directly in the crosshairs. Iran hit the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh with a drone strike early Tuesday, causing what Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry described as a limited fire and minor damage. It followed an attack the day before on the U.S. embassy in Kuwait, signaling a widening Iranian response across the region. Iran has attacked targets in a number of other nations, including energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It's also claimed to have closed the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world's oil is shipped. The United States and Israel are intensifying airstrikes inside Iran. President Donald Trump suggested this may only be the beginning of a sustained campaign that could last more than a month. In an interview with the New York Post, Trump refused to rule out sending American troops into Iran if they were necessary. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. knew Israel was about to strike and joined in a preemptive strike to prevent higher U.S. casualties from an Iranian retaliation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had no choice, calling the threat from Iran urgent. “After we hit their nuclear sites and their ballistic missiles program, you think they learned the lesson, but they didn't because they're unreformed. So they started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb programs immune within months.” Trump also said that the largest phase of strikes is still ahead: “We haven't even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn't even happened. The big one is coming soon.” The human toll is rising. U.S. military officials confirm that six American service members have been killed in the first three days of the war, including troops killed in an Iranian strike on a base housing American forces in Kuwait. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked by a CBN reporter about praying for U.S. forces. “As you've said, there are a large amount of U.S. service members that are in harm's way right now. What is your prayer for them?” “I know we think about them with every decision that we make and every recommendation that we make to the president of the United States. Those recommendations are made prayerfully. And when I pray every day for them and for this mission, I pray simply for the biblical wisdom to see what is right and the courage to do it.” The U.S. State Department is urging Americans to immediately depart from more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, as the conflict deepens. With American forces now engaged, evacuation warnings in place, and leaders signaling that more strikes are coming, the Middle East stands on the edge. CBN News. Because Truth Matters Download the free CBN News App: http://cbnnews.com/app SUBSCRIBE to the CBN News Channel for more: http://youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline/?sub_confirmation=1 SUBSCRIBE to the QuickStart Newsletter by visiting quickstart.news SUBSCRIBE to the Quickstart Podcast. New episodes every morning at 7am: cbn.com/cbnnews/quickstart What's coming up next? Have a look at our program guide: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.cbn.com%2Fcbnnews%2Fnewschann&redir_token=3Xja-7LE5ZQebEu1fn-B5ib34tN8MTU3OTg4MjMzMkAxNTc5Nzk1OTMy&v=P0mHVeNNfDw&event=video_description CBN features 24-hour TV news from a Christian perspective. The CBN News Channel provides independent news programming to an underserved audience to enlighten, entertain and inspire Christians around the world. Comments below do not necessarily reflect the views of CBN. Share this live feed with your friends and family: https://www.youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbnnews/ Like us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBNNews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbnnews/ Contact News Editors: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww1.cbn.com%2Fcontact%2Fcontact-&redir_token=3Xja-7LE5ZQebEu1fn-B5ib34tN8MTU3OTg4MjMzMkAxNTc5Nzk1OTMy&v=P0mHVeNNfDw&event=video_description Questions about other CBN programs: Visit WatchCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000. Questions about supporting CBN News? Visit JoinCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000 for more information. Questions about Helping the Home Front? Call: 800-700-7000 https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww1.cbn.com%2F700club%2Fhelping-&redir_token=3Xja-7LE5ZQebEu1fn-B5ib34tN8MTU3OTg4MjMzMkAxNTc5Nzk1OTMy&v=P0mHVeNNfDw&event=video_description #breakingnews #politicalnews #christiannews #christian #christianity #church #breakingnews #cbnnews