FBI Increased Security Around Trump, Administration Officials, Ahead Of Iran Strike

Prior to President Trump’s authorization of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, law enforcement officials discreetly intensified their surveillance of Iran-affiliated operatives within the United States, as reported by multiple sources to CBS News.

FBI Director Kash Patel has been amplifying efforts to observe potential domestic sleeper cells associated with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization recognized by the United States as a foreign terrorist entity, according to U.S. officials. These enhanced operations commenced earlier this month following Israel’s initiation of its Operation Rising Lion offensive, as reported by CBS News.

Both the White House and the FBI have refrained from providing comments.

The threat posed by Iranian operatives on U.S. territory has long been a source of concern for administration officials, particularly since President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

In the previous year, federal prosecutors charged an operative from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with two individuals based in the U.S., in connection with a scheme to surveil and assassinate critics of the Iranian regime. Prosecutors assert that the IRGC operative confessed to investigators that he was being urged by senior Iranian officials to orchestrate an attack aimed at President Trump.

U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials have spent years alerting about Tehran’s capacity to orchestrate or incite terror plots within America, a concern that has only intensified since Soleimani’s demise. The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and various other agencies have allocated substantial resources to mitigate this threat.

Potential targets are diverse. In recent years, prosecutors have brought charges against individuals for conspiring to assassinate former national security adviser John Bolton and Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad, both of whom are vocal critics of the Iranian regime.

Bolton received Secret Service protection in 2021; however, President Trump rescinded that protection earlier this year.

Concurrently, the White House has confirmed that President Trump is actively contemplating a strike on Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, a decision that would align the United States with Israel’s ongoing campaign against Iranian nuclear and military objectives.

CBS News has previously reported that the White House is evaluating options for a more extensive military response.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Thursday that the president will reach a final decision “within the next two weeks,” noting that there remains “a significant possibility of negotiation that may or may not occur” with Iran.

Iran, for its part, has issued threats of retaliation should the United States proceed with a strike, which occurred late Friday and early Saturday morning as part of “Operation Midnight Thunder.”

Retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt expressed to CNN on Saturday night that he was “impressed” by the “deception and trickery” employed by the Trump administration prior to Saturday’s air strikes on Iran’s nuclear program.

“I’m intrigued and, frankly, I’m impressed. I never truly grasped what the two-week pause signified or its purpose. What was left to negotiate? What were we anticipating the Iranians to propose?” he remarked to CNN host Anderson Cooper.

“In numerous respects, it resembled a Trump negotiation. To clarify, he was attempting to finalize a deal for an apartment, but unexpectedly, the apartment was rendered uninhabitable. Thus, where does the negotiation stand? I believe that the application of deception and cunning in this instance—first and foremost—proved effective. Moreover, it averted the possible loss of American lives,” he stated.

President Trump declared the military strikes on his TruthSocial platform prior to addressing the nation.

“We have successfully executed our attack on the three nuclear facilities in Iran, which include Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All aircraft are now outside of Iranian airspace,” he remarked.

“A complete payload of bombs was deployed on the primary facility, Fordow. All aircraft are safely en route back home. Congratulations to our exceptional American warriors. There is no other military in the world capable of achieving this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he concluded.