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President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, after a joint attack on Iran, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said Saturday morning.
“President Trump monitored the situation overnight at Mar a Lago with members of his security team,” Leavitt wrote to X on Saturday. “The President spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone.”
Trump announced in a Truth Social video message at 2:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time that the strikes had begun, and spoke Iranian people specifically, telling them to “take control of (their) destiny.”
President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt pause to speak to the media as Trump departs Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Leavitt continued with X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has given a conference call to the “Gang of Eight,” a coalition of top congressional intelligence leaders, and that the administration’s security chief continues to monitor the situation.
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“Prior to this attack, Secretary Rubio called all eight gang members to brief them on the conference, and he was able to reach and brief seven of the eight members. The President and his national security team will continue to monitor the situation throughout the day.
A caucus of eight Democrats condemned the action, including Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., who serves as the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.
This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox Stories)
“Everything I have heard from the administration before and after these strikes on Iran confirms that this is a war of choice with no strategic end,” Himes wrote in a statement. “As Secretary Rubio expressed when he told the Gang of Eight, military action in the region is unlikely to end well for the United States, and conflict with Iran could easily and escalate in unexpected ways. Donald Trump does not appear to have learned the lessons of history.”
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Tensions have flared for months with Iran. The US launched a series of strikes on that country’s nuclear program in June, before returning to the table to negotiate the deal.
Before Saturday’s strikes, Trump had warned that the regime needed to be completely dismantled nuclear infrastructure or to deal with the consequences.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his meeting with US President Donald Trump. (Avi Ohayon / GPO)
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Trump celebrated in his video message early Saturday to the Iranians that “the hour of your freedom is at hand.”
“Stay safe. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we’re done, take your government. It will be yours to take,” Trump said. “This will be, perhaps, your chance of a lifetime. For years, you’ve asked for America’s help, but you didn’t get it. No President was willing to do what I’m willing to do tonight. Now you have a President who gives you what you want.”
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