FBI increases surveillance of Iran-backed operatives in US: source

The FBI is expanding its monitoring of Iran-backed operatives successful the U.S. arsenic President Donald Trump weighs engagement successful the Israel-Iran conflict, a elder instrumentality enforcement root confirmed to Fox News Friday.

The White House said Thursday Trump volition marque a determination connected U.S. engagement successful the struggle wrong 2 weeks.

The monitoring reportedly includes surveillance of imaginable sleeper cells linked to the Tehran-backed violent enactment Hezbollah, according to CBS News. The Lebanon-based panic radical besides got a wide informing from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz not to articulation the conflict.

Director Kash Patel speaks with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum earlier President Donald Trump arrives for a bill-signing ceremonial successful the Rose Garden of the White House successful Washington, D.C., May 19, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

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The determination to summation monitoring comes conscionable days aft Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Iran was plotting to assassinate Trump due to the fact that the authorities saw him arsenic a menace to its atomic program.

"They privation to termination him. He's force No. 1. He's a decisive leader. He ne'er took the way that others took to effort to bargain with them successful a mode that is weak, giving them fundamentally a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars," the premier curate told Fox News' Bret Baier during a Sunday variation of "Special Report."

Smoke rises from the gathering lodging Iran's state-run tv presumption aft an Israeli onslaught successful Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025.  (AP Photo)

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While Trump has called for an "unconditional surrender," helium has yet to determine whether to impact the U.S. successful the conflict. White House property caput Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday helium would marque a determination wrong 2 weeks. Critics from some sides of the aisle person called connected the president not to get involved, portion others spot engagement arsenic a necessity to support American interests.

President Donald Trump stops and talks to the media earlier helium boards Marine One connected the South Lawn astatine the White House June 15, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

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On Friday, a U.S. authoritative told Fox News the USS Nimitz, which near the South China Sea Monday, would get successful the Middle East this weekend. The USS Carl Vinson has already been deployed for immoderate time, meaning 2 U.S. craft carriers would beryllium successful the Middle East astatine the aforesaid time.

Liz Friden and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.