Israel strikes Iran in retaliation for weekend assault

A Columbia University student is suing the school as anti-Israel protests continue to rage on the Ivy League campus.

Daniella Symonds said the school has failed to protect students and has tolerated antisemitism on its New York City campus at the expense of Jewish students.

"I'm just disgusted," she said of more protests on Friday.

On Thursday, more than 100 people were arrested after students set up an encampment on campus in support of Palestinians while screaming anti-Israel slogans.

Symonds also accused university president Nemat Shafik, who this week testified before Congress about growing antisemitism on campus, of failing to protect students.

"I think that in some ways the president is trying to be diplomatic. I think that she is trying to play it both sides," she said.

Iranian leadership is downplaying Israeli strikes against their country, despite previously vowing total war in the event of the "tiniest invasion."

During a Friday speech, President Ebrahim Raisi did not mention the Israeli missile strike launched against the Isfahan region of Iran earlier the same day.

Instead, Raisi focused on justifying Iran's own offensive attacks.

"Operation True Promise led to authority, unity and cohesion in the country," Raisi said in his speech, according to translations from Iran International English. "Today, all political groups and factions believe that this response was necessary and a big honor for the country."

Fox News Digital's Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid proposal survived a key test vote Friday morning, setting House lawmakers up to consider its four individual components sometime Saturday.

In a stunning break from modern historical precedent, more Democrats voted for the GOP proposal than Johnson's fellow Republicans.

Three of the four bills fund Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. A fourth bill includes national security priorities like the House’s recently passed crackdown on TikTok’s ownership, as well as the REPO Act, which would liquidate seized Russian assets and give that funding to Ukraine.

Johnson’s push for foreign aid has infuriated members on the right of his House GOP conference, putting added pressure on the Louisiana Republican as he also navigates a historically slim majority.

A well-placed senior military source tells Fox News that the target of Israel’s strikes in Iran Friday was a military base in Isfahan province. 

“The Israelis hit what they intended to strike,” the source told Fox News’ Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin, adding that reports from the Iranians claiming the explosions in the region were the simply the result of their air defense systems in action are not true. 

The targets within the operation included Iranian air defense systems among those used to protect their nuclear facilities, the source said, noting that it was a message to the Iranians “we can reach out and touch you.”  

The Russian-made air defense systems were proven to be ineffective in stopping the strikes, according to the source. 

The source also said the Israeli military used missiles and unmanned aircraft to carry out their operation. 

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech in Damghan, Iran, on Friday, April 19. (AP/IRINN)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi  said Friday that his country's attack on Israel this past weekend, which an Israeli military spokesperson says was 99% intercepted, was "necessary, obligatory, unifying and a source of pride and power for our great country." 

"This operation became a sign of the power of the Islamic Republic and its armed forces," Raisi said during a speech in Damghan, outside of Tehran, according to The Associated Press. "It also showed the steely determination of our nation and our wise leader, the commander of all forces." 

Raisi notably did not mention Israel's strikes on Iran that happened this morning.

Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Iran “does not want escalation” following Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic, the AFP is reporting. 

"There have been telephone contacts between the leadership of Russia and Iran, our representatives and the Israelis. We made it very clear in these conversations, we told the Israelis that Iran does not want escalation," Lavrov was quoted as saying to Russian radio stations. 

Iranian worshippers attend an anti-Israeli gathering after their Friday prayer in Tehran, Iran, on Friday, April 19. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

A crowd of worshippers in Tehran were heard chanting “death to Israel” and “death to America” on Friday following Israel’s strikes on the country, according to Sky News. 

"They didn't do anything special, based off what I heard from news agencies,” one man was quoted as saying. "I don't think they have the courage to do anything after Iran's successful strike." 

Iranian media has been downplaying the strikes, despite its leaders earlier this week issuing fiery warnings to Israel not to respond to an Iranian attack last weekend. 

Israel carried out limited strikes in Iran early Friday in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last Saturday.

Here are the key facts you need to know about the latest escalation of violence between the two countries.

Police officers patrol near the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, April 19. (AP/Thomas Padilla)

French police have arrested a man at the Iranian consulate in Paris after responding to a report about a suspicious individual possibly carrying a grenade and explosives vest. 

A Paris police official told The Associated Press that officers were verifying the man’s identity and trying to determine whether he had weapons. 

Some of the police, special agents and firefighters that responded to the incident at the consulate were later seen leaving the scene after the arrest. A police cordon remained in place, but traffic was resuming in the area. 

The man's motives were not immediately clear and no explosions have been reported, the official said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Biden administration is considering supplying more than $1 billion in new weaponry to Israel, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News.

The request from Israel is recent and under initial review, and the deals have not been approved yet, the source said.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the deals.

The deals include $700 million in 120 mm tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and under $100 million in 120 mm mortar rounds, according to the newspaper.

They would need to be approved by congressional leaders and could take up to several years to be delivered, it added.

The Wall Street Journal had described the proposed weapons transfers as “among the largest to Israel” since it began its war against Hamas on Oct. 7.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, tells Fox News that with Israel’s strikes on Iran Friday, “the Israelis wanted to draw a sharp contrast with what the Islamic Republic tried to do” with its attack on the Jewish state last weekend. 

Taleblu says Israel's strikes were conducted with “exceptionally more limited and precise force.” 

The fresh strikes, according to Taleblu, presents Iran with “a political fork in the road. 

“If it chooses to escalate, it would be the one owning this, and that if it chooses to back down, well this is potentially a way to put a cork in one of the Middle East’s more dangerous escalation cycles,” he said. 

“Those are really the only options here,” Taleblu added. 

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem announced Friday that “Out of an abundance of caution following reports that Israel conducted a retaliatory strike inside Iran, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice.   

“U.S. government personnel are authorized to transit between these three areas for personal travel,” it added. 

The embassy issued a similar warning late last week before Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel on Saturday. 

“The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness as security incidents often take place without warning,” it added. “The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events.” 

Iranian nuclear sites are "fully safe" and have not been impacted by Israeli strikes, the country's regime says.

Israel carried out limited strikes on areas of Iran early Friday in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last Saturday.

The region surrounding the city of Isfahan — home to the country's "nuclear energy mountain" — was among the areas targeted in the strike.

Isfahan is home to Iran's Uranium Conversion Facility and three research reactors. The country's underground Natanz enrichment site is also in the region.

Iranian state media stated following the attack that the nation's atomic sites were "fully safe" and not struck by the missiles.

A Hamas official is calling Israel's strike on Iran Friday an "escalation in the region," according to Reuters.

"We call for expanding the scale of the engagement against the [Israeli] occupation in response to the war of genocide in Gaza and the escalation in the region," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted as saying.

In March, Hamas leadership met with Iranian counterparts in a highly publicized engagement, seemingly to promote and praise a United Nations Security Council resolution urging a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas, held a press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Abdollahian, during which the pair praised the U.N. resolution for serving as a heavy blow to Israel’s political and military goals. 

Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

Republicans in the Senate are accusing the Democratic Party, including President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of emboldening Iran prior to the country's recent attack on U.S. ally Israel.

"Instead of standing with our ally, Israel, Democrats are focused on appealing to their radical left base, which hates Israel and is actively supporting Hamas and Iran," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

"To appease his base, Joe Biden allowed over $100 billion to flow to Iran. Iran then used that money to make drones and cruise missiles to attack Israel," Cruz said. "In a very real sense, Joe Biden funded Iran’s attack on Israel. The Democrat position on Israel and Iran is as illogical as it is indefensible."

Iran attacked Israel directly over the weekend, launching hundreds of drone strikes as well as a barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles. With the help of the U.S. military, Israel managed to intercept almost all the incoming drone and missile attacks. 

Israel's retaliatory attack on Iran Friday comes after world leaders earlier this week warned the country not to strike back at the Islamic Republic for its missile and drone barrage targeting the Jewish state last weekend. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country had carried out "interceptions" of some of the missiles Iran launched at Israel and that it will try to "convince Israel that we must not respond by escalating."  

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also called on Israel Monday to "contribute to de-escalation" in the Middle East and that "Iran must stop this aggression."  

In an interview with the BBC, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said, "I think they're perfectly justified to think they should respond because they have been attacked, but we are urging them as friends to think with head as well as heart, to be smart as well as tough," according to Reuters.  

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri, Italy, on Friday, April 19. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when asked about Israel's strikes on Iran Friday, said "I'm not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations."

"What we're focused on, what the G7 is focused on, and again, it's reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflict. You saw Israel on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack," he added. "But our focus has been on, of course, making sure that Israel can effectively defend itself, but also de-escalating tensions, avoiding conflict."

"A big part of our approach has been to prevent the conflict from spreading, to avoid escalation everywhere," Blinken also said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that the G7 is “committed to de-escalating, to trying to bring this tension to a close” between Israel and Iran. 

“Yesterday, the United States announced additional sanctions on Iran targeting UAV programs, the steel industry, companies that are associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Ministry of Defense and its armed forces logistics,” he added. 

Blinken is speaking in Capri, Italy, as G7 foreign ministers gathered there for a meeting.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to speak in just minutes following Israel's strikes on Iran Friday.

Blinken is in Italy for a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers.

As of early Friday morning, Pentagon officials have not confirmed the strike and the White House and the National Security Council have declined to comment on the unfolding situation.

The foreign ministers of the G7 released a joint statement Friday condemning Iran for attacking Israel last weekend and urged both sides to "prevent further escalation."

The statement said the ministers "condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel of April 13-14, which Israel defeated with the help of its partners. 

"This was a dangerous escalation, as Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones," it added.

"Israel and its people have our full solidarity and support and we reaffirm our commitment towards Israel’s security," the ministers also said. "Iran’s actions mark an unacceptable step towards the destabilization of the region and a further escalation, which must be avoided. In light of reports of strikes on April 19th, we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation. The G7 will continue to work to this end."

The Biden administration is considering supplying more than $1 billion in new weaponry to Israel, The Wall Street Journal is reporting Friday, citing U.S. officials. 

The deals include $700 million in 120 mm tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and under $100 million in 120 mm mortar rounds, according to the newspaper. 

They would need to be approved by congressional leaders and could take up to several years to be delivered, it added. 

The Wall Street Journal described the proposed weapons transfers as “among the largest to Israel” since it began its war against Hamas on Oct. 7. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, right, speaks in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, April 18. (AP/Mariam Zuhaib)

Lawmakers are reacting after Israel reportedly struck a site in Iran early Friday in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last weekend. 

A handful of American politicians defended Israel's "right to defend itself," calling for the U.S. to "stand with Israel." 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that Israel had a "right and obligation to respond" and blamed the recent attacks on President Biden's handling of foreign policy in the region. 

"The scope of Israel's action tonight shows just how far Iran's reach has extended across the region. Iran's advances should worry every American, because when Iran's leaders chant 'Death to Israel' they also chant ‘Death to America,'" Cruz said. "Iran launched a massive attack and act of war against Israel. That attack was enabled because Joe Biden and Biden officials dismantled pressure on the Ayatollah." 

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., posted on X: "Israel has the ability to conduct strikes against targets inside Iran without entering Iranian airspace from aircraft over Syrian and Iraqi airspace." 

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz defended Israel's reported attack, saying it has the "right to defend itself against Iran's full network of evil," while placing blame on the Biden administration. 

Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York in October 2023. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, prior to Israel launching an attack on his country Friday, told the U.N. Security Council Thursday that "In case of any use of force by the Israeli regime and violating our sovereignty, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate a bit to assert its inherent rights to give a decisive and proper response to it to make the regime regret its actions,” according to Reuters. 

However, a senior Iranian official has said to the news agency Friday that Tehran has no immediate plans to strike back at Israel for the latest incident. 

That official said “the foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed” and “the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack.” 

Iranian state media reportedly has been downplaying Friday’s strikes. A well-placed military source has told Fox News that the strikes were "limited." 

“The explosion this morning in the sky of Isfahan was related to the shooting of air defense systems at a suspicious object that did not cause any damage,” Iranian army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. 

A deadly airstrike targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. (Reuters/Firas Makdesi/TPX Images of the Day)

The strikes that Israel carried out against Iran on Friday is the latest escalation of tensions this month between the two Middle Eastern rivals. 

On April 1, a suspected Israeli airstrike targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, left a dozen dead, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps. 

Then last Saturday, Iran fired a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in response to that incident.  

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Iran fired 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles towards Israel in total. 

But out of the hundreds of launches, only a “few” crossed into Israel and caused “minor damages” at the Navatim Airbase, the IDF said. 

The U.S. military helped shoot down some of the drones. 

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report. 

Israel launched limited strikes against Iran on Friday, April 19. (IRGC)

Israel carried out limited strikes in Iran early Friday in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last Saturday. 

A well-placed military source has told Fox News that the strike was "limited." Sources familiar said the U.S. was not involved and there was pre-notification to the U.S. from the Israelis. 

Fox News Digital confirmed there have been explosions in Iran's Isfahan province, which is where Natanz, one of Iran's nuclear facilities, is located.  

State television later described all sites in the area as "fully safe" and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on X Friday morning that there is no damage. 

Details surrounding the intended target of the strike were not immediately available, but Fox News was able to confirm the target was "not nuclear or civilian."