Israelis awoke Saturday to the news that Operation "Roaring Lion" had begun, with joint American-Israeli strikes targeting military sites inside Iran. Within hours, satellite images circulated in Israeli media appearing to show damage to a compound associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly struck in the opening wave.

Air raid alerts were activated across parts of the country as Iran launched missile barrages in response. According to an Israeli military official speaking on background the incoming fire amounted to "more in the dozens" per round, though no significant impacts had been reported at the time of the briefing. Home Front Command urged civilians to follow updated safety instructions and avoid sharing real-time locations of missile strikes.

In a speech on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump condemned Tehran’s role in regional instability, saying, "From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq. The regime has armed, trained, and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts. And it was Iran's proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before." 

He added, "Iran is the world's number-one state sponsor of terror… It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I'll say it again. They can never have a nuclear weapon."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation, warning that "in the coming days we will be required to show resilience." His remarks reflected a broader message from Israeli leadership framing the operation as necessary and potentially prolonged.

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Israeli officials said the goal of the campaign is "to thoroughly degrade the Iranian regime’s capabilities and remove existential threats to the State of Israel." The military cited renewed Iranian efforts to advance ballistic missile production and conceal elements of its nuclear program as justification for the timing of the strike.

Israeli assessments, according to local reports, indicate that Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Khamenei and a key figure linked to Iran’s nuclear program, was likely killed in the operation. The military has not formally confirmed specific individuals targeted, saying assessments are ongoing.

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The Israeli National Security Council issued a warning to Israelis abroad, urging them to take heightened precautions in all destinations and remain alert to potential threats against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas.

Inside Israel, the reaction combined tension with discipline. Schools in some areas shifted to remote learning, reservists received draft orders, and families checked that protected rooms were stocked. The military said approximately 70,000 reservists were being called up, largely for aerial defense, Home Front Command duties and border reinforcement.

Officials said forces are deployed across all borders in preparation for possible escalation involving Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and others. While leaders stressed that the targets are military and not civilian, they acknowledged that the coming days could test the country’s endurance.

For now, Israelis are watching closely as developments unfold, bracing for further retaliation while leaders signal that the campaign will continue "as long as necessary."

Democrats in the House and the Senate on Capitol Hill clapped back with criticisms about President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, calling him out for "lies" and suggesting the president isn't winning the way Trump says he is. 

Some Democrats, like Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., argued that Trump's move to blame former President Joe Biden for the current affordability issues Americans are facing is expired, while Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said he had to up-and-leave the president's address because he was talking about making America healthier, describing the claim as a "lie." 

Markey wasn't the only Capitol Hill Democrat to accuse Trump of lying during his State of the Union speech, with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., using the same attack line.

"I don't want to respond to all of Dr. Trump's lies," Booker said when asked about Trump's address to the nation.

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But, in the process of discussing Trump's approach to immigration, Blumenthal did admit "that the border is more secure." That comment, however, was quickly followed up with a criticism about how Trump is doing just that.

"I've long favored border security. I'm pleased that the border is more secure," Blumenthal said when asked about his reaction to parts of Trump's speech. "Some of the tactics used within the country, I think, are really regrettable and inhumane. And that's why I think there needs to be reforms that stop the violations of law and constitutional rights."

ICE enforcement appeared to be a sticking point for Omar as well. 

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"It happens all the time when a president is lying and clearly forgets that his administration killed two of my constituents," she told Fox News Digital when asked about some of the interruptions that took place during the State of the Union. "It is important for the reminder to be there."

When asked about her stance on defunding ICE, Omar said, she "look[ed] forward" to doing it. 

"At this moment, actually accountability and for people to go to jail for the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti," Omar responded when asked what it would take for her to fund ICE and end the current partial government shutdown impacting workers.