Israel Iran US

The U.S. military is deploying three more warships and roughly 2,500 more marines to the Middle East as Iran fires on Israel and energy sites in neighboring Gulf Arab states, sending oil and gas prices soaring. Iran also issued a new threat that denies safety to its enemies in “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide. President Donald Trump said on social media that his administration in fact was considering “winding down” military operations in the region. Israeli and U.S. officials said they've decimated Iran's military since the war began three weeks ago. The Pentagon wants $200 billion more to fund the war as U.S. debt tops a record $39 trillion.

Iran has struck two communities near Israel’s main nuclear research center, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured, hours after Tehran’s main nuclear enrichment site was hit as the war spun into a dangerous new direction. It was the first time Israel’s nuclear research center has been targeted in the fighting. Israel’s military said it was not able to intercept missiles that hit the southern cities of Dimona and Arad, the largest near the center in Israel’s sparsely populated Negev desert. “This is a very difficult evening,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.