# Trump to Israel amid renewed fighting with Iran: 'I will take care of Israel'
US President Donald Trump sought to reassure Israel on Wednesday evening following the renewal of hostilities between the United States and Iran.
In a brief phone call with Israel's Channel 12, Trump said, “Israel should not worry. You know why? Because I’m the president, and I will take care of Israel."
Trump's comments came after US forces launched strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran, including in the areas of Qeshm Island, Chabahar, and Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the operation began at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time and followed recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against US service members deployed to the region.
CENTCOM stated that US forces targeted Iranian air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites.
Trump said on Truth Social that the strikes were carried out in response to Iran's attempt to place sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz and an Iranian missile attack against a US military base in Jordan.
He warned that if Iran retaliated, it would face strikes “at a much harder and higher level," adding that an even larger attack was “waiting in the wings."
Iran subsequently launched ballistic missiles toward US military bases in Jordan. The Jordanian military said 13 ballistic missiles were fired toward the kingdom, of which 10 were intercepted. The remaining three exploded in areas far from population centers.
Two US officials told Reuters that no American personnel in Jordan were injured.
Iranian media later reported that Tehran had attacked a US military base in Bahrain with drones, though there was no official confirmation of the report. Explosions were also heard in Kuwait, where the military said the country's air defenses were engaging Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
Earlier, Iranian Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia had vowed that Tehran would respond to the American strikes, saying the response would be “swift, crushing and widespread."
Following the US strikes, Trump also rejected a report that he was attempting to force Iran back to negotiations.
“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table, as ABC Fake News reported. I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing," he added.
The renewed fighting comes as Israel's security establishment has warned of an increased likelihood of escalation with Iran.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that mounting economic pressure and growing tensions with the regime in Tehran could lead Iran to choose open military confrontation with Israel.
Katz stressed that Israel is prepared for such a possibility.
“We are prepared for both defense and offense, in coordination with the United States," he said.
“If they attack because of Lebanon, because of Samaria, because of Gaza, or simply because they feel like it, our planes are ready to take off."