Trump convenes security council huddle on Iran

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is convening a meeting of his National Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the Iran-Israel war, a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

The meeting, which the official said had not yet started, comes after Trump stepped up his rhetoric against Iran’s supreme leader, sparking questions about possible US military intervention.

Meanwhile, the US military is deploying more fighter aircrafts to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, bolstering US military forces in the region as the war between Israel and Iran rages, three US officials said.

One of the officials said the deployments include F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter aircrafts.

Two of the officials stressed the defensive nature of the deployment of fighter aircrafts, which have been used to shoot down drones and projectiles.

More Relevant: Iran armed forces urge evacuation of residents in major Israeli cities

Earlier, Iran’s state TV reported on Tuesday evening that Tehran has launched a new wave of attacks targeting Israel as fighting between the longtime foes raged for a fifth straight day.

“The tenth wave of Operation Honest Promise 3 against the occupied territories (Israel) has begun,” state TV said, with the Tasnim news agency reporting that the new barrage consisted of “drone and missile attacks” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Air raid sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv area and parts of northern Israel around 3:00 PM GMT on Tuesday, the Israeli military said, after warning of a fresh salvo of incoming missiles fired from Iran.

“A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the state of Israel,” a statement from the military said, with residents of the Tel Aviv area and parts of the north urged to seek shelter.