america's strongest mideast ally is at war. israel is striking back at hamas terrorists in response to a coordinated series of terror attacks resulting in the murder of more than 800 men, women and children. the u.s. now confirming at least nine americans are among the dead. good morning to you, i'm dana perino and bill is off today. good morning, aishah. >> aishah: a very tough day as the world wakes up to this horrific attack. this is "america's newsroom" and here is where things stand at this hour. the combined death toll in israel and in gaza has now surpassed more than 1200 people. there are thousands more wounded and more than 100 israelis kidnapped behind enemy lines. >> dana: despite israel's retaliation hamas is still attacking. they have now fired more than 3500 rockets into israel. >> aishah: the "wall street journal" is reporting that iran was directly involved in all of this. the paper says tehran worked with hamas for weeks to plan the attacks. this directly after the u.s. opened up $6 billion in funds. >> dana: reaction from robert o'brien. edward lawrence has more on the $6 billion payment. peter doocy has the latest from the white house. lawrence, we'll get to trey yengst in a moment. lawrence, we'll start with you now. a lot of conversation about the $6 billion payment over the weekend. what do we need to know? >> making this all worse the state department confirmed nine americans have been killed. president joe biden coming out quickly condemning the attack but he refused to say who was ultimately behind it. >> president biden: the united states stands with israel. we will not ever fail to have their back. we'll make sure that they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves. >> mike waltz on house foreign relations intel committee points the finger directly at iran. >> at the end of the day, this is 100% iran. hamas doesn't so much fire a bb gun without iran giving it the green light and resources to do so. to now find out there were weekly planning meetings, extensive coordination with the iranian regime, we still have a lot to unpack here. >> so the attack on israel by hamas comes three weeks since president biden authorized the release of $6 billion to iran as well as releasing five iranian convicts to get five american hostages. right now the money sits in the central back in qatar unfrozen. the u.s. says it will only be used for humanitarian aid in iran. if that's true it frees up the money iran is using now for aid to be directed elsewhere. still, over the weekend the biden administration hedging its bets on blame. >> we don't have anything that shows us that iran was directly involved in this attack and planning in or in carrying it out but that's something we're looking at very carefully and we have to see where the facts lead. we do know that iran has had a long relationship with hamas. >> and the president with no public events on his calendar today. >> dana: do you expect you will hear from anybody at the white house? surely they will put somebody on camera today, edward. >> the pressure has to be mounting at the white house. we have not heard as of yet that someone will come out and speak but over the weekend you saw quickly the president came out on saturday to make an announcement about this to quickly condemn it and antony blinken was out. you have the -- there is pressure mounting within this white house to do something. i've asked if the president will add something to his schedule. i did not hear back on that front but you have to believe that behind the scenes they are working to figure out how this messaging should go forward. >> dana: we do know that we've just heard that john kirby, the spokesperson for the national security council, will be on at 3:00 p.m. with martha maccallum on "the story." now we have trey yengst back with us. your reporting has been incredible over the weekend and more developments breaking just now? >> yeah, absolutely. we're learning just now that israel has killed a number of infiltrators on the northern border with lebanon. earlier today there were 12 rockets fired into northern israel from southern lebanon and now this infiltration attempt. an indication they will have to continue their efforts to bolster security and support along the northern and southern borders. since we last spoke, israel has started to shell the gaza strip with artillery units. you can hear the bang. art illry shells flying through the air and slamming into positions along the gaza border. we do know the tanks behind me are getting set to enter gaza. you can see they are in place waiting for that order. one of them has an israeli flag on top. these are just a few of the more than 300,000 israeli reservists to serve in the war. unpredictable days are ahead. israeli military says they are prepared for a prolonged battle and the defense minister has ordered a complete siege on the gaza strip saying there will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. he added we're fighting human animals. the level of conflict that we're seeing today has not been experienced in israel in decades but yet people responded quickly when the war erupted, they did not need to receive orders to show up for duty. you have seen the images of cars outside of military bases in tel aviv and jerusalem. people understood something very bad had happened. they didn't have all the details but knew this meant war. and so they showed up and as their military continues to strike gaza, throughout the day and night, they are preparing to enter on the ground. rocket fire now into southern israel. you can hear the explosions overhead. hamas has launched a huge barrage. guys, just stay down. there has been an impact right here. the black smoke rising up. one of those rockets just fired from the gaza strip slammed into a house behind me. some secondary explosions taking place. many things on fire. we can see debris on the road. paramedics and firefighters ran into the building. they're not sure who was inside. this was not an area that was evacuated. it is chaos here but just an example of what is taking place in southern israel. the paramedics bringing in stretchers to try to evacuate anyone who was wounded inside. as we were driving here you could see people in the neighborhood running toward the building into the fire trying to look for people that might have survived. everyone was so scared. people are crying and we had to find shelter in less than 20 seconds. and this is the way we have to protect ourselves. >> more than 4500 rockets have been fired into southern and central israel since this conflict began saturday morning. remember, it started with the slaughter of civilians. israel today says more than 800 people are dead, most of them civilians. dozens of soldiers. the artillery units firing at this hour. air strikes continue and the war is underway. >> dana: on the hostage. what have you heard about any additional plans to try to find them? what is the status of the hostages and the plans to get them out? >> there are dozens of israeli citizens and soldiers inside the gaza strip. they were taken hostage. now prisoners of war. hamas and islamic jihad say they've taken them into the tunnel system underneath gaza and nearly impossible for the israelis to find where these hostages are held. so even once they go in on the ground they won't be able to conduct a raid and rescue them right away. this is an operation that could take weeks, if not months and part of the reason we're already hearing about negotiation behind the scenes. a source told fox news this morning that qatari mediateors are on the phone with hamas officials trying to convince them to free israeli women and children that were taken into gaza during that initial ground assault on saturday morning. the images were heart breaking. they were terrifying. women holding their small babies as hamas militants holding guns yelled at them dragging them into the gaza strip. just horrific scenes. unimaginable scenes. stories we're hearing from civilians in southern israel horrific and the only way to describe what has taken place. when it comes to the hostages, the families are doing everything they can to get any piece of information but there is no information to receive. if you go on social media in israel and you see every person that lives here are posting photos, posting phone numbers asking, pleading for anyone who knows anything about their loved ones to reach out. unfortunately, those who were taken both dead and alive into gaza, their fate is unknown. >> dana: trey yengst, stay safe and we'll be back as developments are happening there as we speak. want to bring in ambassador robert o'brien, the chairman of the american global strategies and former national security advisor. mr. ambassador, lots to ask you about. the fact that there were americans killed, where do you think this stands now when you are in the situation room and in the white house and advising the president? obviously israel is our strongest ally. has this changed at all in your mind in the last 24 hours? >> well, dana, there are two things that changed. one americans have been killed by a terrorist organization. potentially a dozen killed and we don't know how many americans taken hostage. this complicates the life of the planners in the situation room dramatically. the second thing we learned from "wall street journal" reporting which seems to be better than the intelligence sources the administration is getting is iran is heavely involved in this operation and green lighted it, planned it, and then they did so at the same time we were paying $6 billion to iran. we unfroze the assets or paying ransom or gift whatever you want to describe it. the white house is running around in circles trying to make it look like it wasn't a ransom payment. we were paying $6 billion to the iranians they were planning on appear ration to kill americans and israelis and take them hostage. it is pretty horrific. >> dana: trey yengst said qatari officials are on the phone with hamas. it seems galling to me. are you the diplomat. what do you think of that? >> well look, the first effort to rescue these prisoners or hostages, when hamas calls these people prisoners of war, they aren't engaged in a war but acts of bar areism and savage re since we haven't seen the call fate in syria and iraq. this is a geneva convention situation. what is happening with the qatar east i'm speculating here. my guess is they're telling hamas these images are so horrific you have no one supporting you in the world and the retribution will be dramatic. get the women and children out. >> dana: they have support from iran and the importance of the diplomacy here. which can be tough, right? you can have tough diplomacy. what do you think about the allies' sponsor our allies response when we know iran. the reason i say the qatari outreach seems galling, you wonder about the support there also. >> i think the qataris are trying to use their good offices. qatar is across the gulf from iran and exposed to the iranians and they are probably not confident in the united states' ability to defend them. we've seen the kowtowing to iran from this administration and talk about galling, the galling part is giving iran $6 billion for five american hostages. and the problem with that, dana, is one, you create a market for future hostage taking and two, i said this at the time, you fund future terrorist operations. what we didn't think would happen is those plans would be so vividly illustrated so quickly as we've seen now. major terrorist operation and major hostage taking including of americans. >> dana: how important is it that there not be this medicals for israel to stand down? >> we said we're with ukraine for the long haul, over a year since they were invaded by russia. we have to be with israel for the long haul. this will be a long operation. neutralize gaza and turn using their internal lines of communications and internal supply lines and go north and take out hezbollah. that is the only way you'll deal with iranians and protect the israeli people in the long run. we have to have their back. when folks at the u.n. start calling for israel to show restraint we need to remove the orgy of violence to start the war. it wasn't started by israel. it was started by iran, hezbollah and hamas. >> dana: we appreciate it. >> aishah: there was an incredible display of patriotism and unity in israel as a group of israeli soldiers banded together to sing their national anthem before heading out on deployment. watch this. ♪ >> aishah: they showed their dedication to israel as they prepare to defend it on the front lines. dana, there is often a compareson between what just happened over the weekend and what continues to happen and our 9/11 and the country is so small comparatively. when they lose this many people, i mean, it just -- it is striking. >> dana: one of the things that trey yengst was saying if you go on social media you will see it on the news it is hard to watch. but i also think it's so important that we don't turn away. this is reality, this is what's happening on the ground there and there will be time to figure out what went wrong and what did they miss and how did they miss it. all those questions will come eventually. in the meantime the show of solidarity you showed and the patriotism. can give us hope that they have all that they need within themselves and the support of the united states and allies in order to fight back. israel strikes back launching air strikes in gaza. emerging about the israeli military. where its eyes closed in the lead-up to the unprecedented terror attack that killed hundred dress? the united states standing shoulder to shoulder sending ships and aircraft carrier closer to israel in a show of force. hamas showing no mercy in taking over 100 civilians hostage. now israeli families are in anguish. watch this. >> don't hurt them. don't hurt little children. don't hurt women. if you want me instead, i am willing to come. willing to come. because i know so many of you have served our country honorably. one of the benefits that we as a country give you as a veteran is the eligibility for a va loan for up to 100% of your home's value. if you need cash for your family, call newday usa. with automatic authority from the va, we can say yes when banks say no. give us a call. which hotel? ah! did somebody say “which hotel?” i'm great at this. dance to your faves in the spa-like bathroom! or enjoy local craft beers, with breathtaking views at the cambria. this is spring semester at over 13,000 us school districts, which have become top targets for ransomware attacks. but there's never been a reported ransomware attack on a chromebook. which is why thousands of schools like the fairfield-suisun unified school district switched to google tools for education. so they can focus on teaching and 22,000 students can focus on learning, knowing that their data is secure. 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>> it is untenable as long as we're learning nine americans killed. we need to hear from the president. we didn't hear from him until late afternoon. when americans are involved and americans have been killed to hear from the commander-in-chief and say in new uncertain terms i will reiterate my support for israel and say you must not harm an american hostage. i want to hear from him or from the administration have you sent f.b.i. special courses as robert o'brien suggested you do? have you sent the special forces hostage team to the region? we don't know the answer to that question. >> dana: at the very least i imagine you will see a photo released today of the president in the situation room or on the phone with somebody doing something like that. i just want to show this call for number one, what peter doocy wa was describing is the crises around the world. every president has them but this is an urgent crisis. you have a lot of things going on. afghanistan, iran, china, problems in africa. ukraine, israel. a lot on his plate. this from the fox news poll saying 58% of those polled disapprove of the president on foreign policy. now a lot of elections are never necessarily hinge on foreign policy but how do you think this plays into the overall question about republicans and democrats going into 2024? >> if there are american hostages at play it could be another afghanistan moment. you are right. typically the economy frames approval ratings. as axios said it is impossible to deny the blunder of afghanistan, the fall of afghanistan, and how it affected polling. he was at 49% in august. one month later 30%. people saw chaos. it adds to the feeling you see chaos on the southern border and you look overseas and ukraine, china playing these war games essentially in the south china sea. >> dana: russia is paying attention as well. the other thing is that the candidates on the republican side have a chance to talk about foreign policy. some don't have specific foreign policy experience. at the debate we asked the question, the farther you get from september 11th the closer you are to september 10th. ron desantis in iowa on sunday. he was talking about this issue. watch. >> i can tell you this, i wouldn't have slept through those attacks if i were in the white house. i would have been up at 2:00 in the morning and we would have been doing what we need to do to protect this country. >> dana: the white house won't like that. moment of crisis you have americans held hostage you wana the make sure everybody is rallying around the president but we're in a competitive situation. how does a candidate deal with that? >> the best position candidates to deal with this are ambassador haley with a foreign policy record and former president trump. i with as there with ambassador robert o'brien and john ratcliffe and president trump in september of 2020 when we were celebrating peace accords between bay ran, israel, first time it happened since 1994. that's september of 2020. former president trump should be say september of 2023 looks a lot different. we aren't celebrating peace. we are looking at war in israel. something that didn't happen on my watch. president trump uniquely positioned on this issue. >> dana: when you had to deal with the crisis as press secretary this is on a scope and scale that feelings overwhelming because of the iranian connection and the white house is going to push back a lot on the particular issue of the $6 billion. almost in a way it feels they are protesting too much and making too much of a deal in terms of making it more so that people will keep talking about it. >> andrew bates was on twitter. they are bringing the $6 billion to light. we're talking about it. the $60 billion in unenforced sanctions that have freed up iran to sell oil. if i'm president biden not only in front of a camera today i'm announcing sanctions on iran. i'm there talking tough and saying you enabled this. you have to make sure the intelligence is there. everyone i asked says iran is behind it and the "wall street journal" report. >> dana: reporters had more information in 24 hours that intelligence had in the months leading up to this. we'll see you on "outnumbered." thank you so much. >> aishah: israel is under attack and fighting back against hamas terrorists. at least nine americans among the victims of this war. more next. he hits his mark —center stage—and is crushed by a baby grand piano. you're replacing me? 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how was israel caught so off guard? was there an intelligence gap? >> good morning, aishah. very difficult time for us here in israel and we are still counting the number of deaths and casualties and it is beyond imagination. almost 1,000 victims in one day in the civilian perspective. we have 9 million people. when compared to the u.s. imagine in one morning 40,000 americans would be killed in a few hours. it is hell for us but we are coming together. we are strong and starting to look at what really happened and i agree with you, we were caught by surprise, again it happened 50 years ago in yom kippur war and now happened again. i think what we have to do now is not to blame anyone but to regroup and to think about how we punish hamas, how we eradicate hamas and that's what we're doing. hamas is not by itself. they get funding from iran. all the funding they receive for humanitarian purposes they don't invest in schools or hospitals, they use it for digging tunnels, training their barbaric militants and we saw what they were doing. massacring innocent families and kidnapping them to gaza. it is like isis. we're fighting with evil. >> aishah: you will be conducting oversight in the coming days. what about the recent judicial protest? there is talk that perhaps israel was caught off guard because that might have created the opportunity for hamas. >> well, i don't accept this. you shouldn't look for reasoning or logic when you deal with terrorists. the same idea like 9/11. you can't explain why they did it or why isis butchered so many innocent people. those are evil people. they don't care about their own people. the palestinian people summer from the regime of hamas. i don't think we should look at what we did wrong. those people will always be against us. that is why i think now when we start to plan the operation against hamas we should be very strong, very determined, and i would propose to the government not to hold our fault. to go all the way to eradicate hamas once and for all. better for israel and for the palestinian people in gaza. >> aishah: i know the priority is to get your people back as it is for the u.s. we know nine americans are dead and we have no idea actually right now how many are being held hostage. trey yengst on the ground for us is reporting that there may be negotiations underway. perhaps palestinians women in prison exchanged for the hostages. what are you hearing about that right now? what's on the table? >> well, aishah, i'm not familiar with any negotiations. few international players want to be involved in the process, qatar, egypt. but i think it is too early. we're still fighting, by the way. the few terrorists still in our territory in the southern part of israel, so we are not in a stage of negotiating anything. what we're doing now is preparing the troops. they called the reserves and getting ready to fight back. you will be surprised. israel is still a stre strong country with a strong military. hamas will feel it in the next few days. >> aishah: do you trust the states of qatar and egypt and saudi arabia to coordinate and help in this moment? >> well, you know, many have good intentions but they don't have control over hamas. when you deal with a terrorist organization, you have to be very skeptical about their intentions. in the last few hours they're starting to spread the horrible videos and footage online trying to demore allize our society. we are strong and we stand up. even with the pain we're carrying, we will be able to stand against them and defeat them. >> aishah: i know a lot of folks are wondering why now? why the timing of this to happen now? we know there was a holiday recently but also, i'm not sure if you were able to watch this, bret baier was overseas a week ago and was able to sit down with mbs in saudi arabia and netanyahu right after. they spoke, both of them, positively about a possible peace deal eventually. how much of this, ambassador, do you think was a push to push israel away from any sort of a peace deal? is that something that is completely off the table in this moment? >> no, i would not be surprised. iranians are very involved. they sponsored hamas for many years. they guide them. we know about hamas expert that flew to tehran to get guidance about explosives and military operations, i would not be surprised at all. iran was not happy to see the saudis coming closer to israel and the u.s. is being back involved in the region. i wouldn't be surprised if iran was planning it to put a hold on negotiations. we'll continue to seek peace with the moderate muslim world. we aren't against the muslim world but will focus on the radicals from hamas and we'll hunt them down. >> aishah: last question here for the u.s., how involved should the u.s. be right now? what does israel need from us? >> well, we value the support of the u.s. we appreciate it. i think we will get the support in terms of the equipment and ammunition that will be needed in the next few days. and also we have to pay attention to what's happening in the north with the border with lebanon. iran has control over hezbollah, which is another proxy of iran. if they would start another round of violence against us we will have to teach them a lesson and have to bury hezbollah under the rubble of lebanon and need the support of the u.s. we don't expect troops on the ground but getting ammunition here in israel. >> aishah: we're expecting for this to be a long operation. ambassador, we so appreciate your time. and your thoughts here with us this morning. thank you. >> thank you very much, aishah. >> dana: good interview there. we told you there was some fighting in gaza. this is israel responding. listen here. [explosions] that is in southern israel just moments ago and we'll continue to follow the story with all the breaking news that is unfolding right now as we speak. we'll be right back. this is american infrastructure, a prime target for cyberattacks. but the same ai-powered security that protects all of google also defends these services for everyone who lives here. ♪ i'd like to take a moment to address my fellow veterans, because i know so many of you have served our country honorably. one of the benefits that we as a country give you as a veteran is the eligibility for a va loan for up to 100% of your home's value. if you need cash for your family, call newday usa. with automatic authority from the va, we can say yes when banks say no. give us a call. ♪ there it is. that feeling you get... when you can du more with less asthma. it starts with dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. can you picture it? dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines, including steroids, without talking to your doctor. who knows what you can do when you du more with less asthma. ask your asthma specialist about dupixent. hi, i'm michael, i've lost 62 pounds on golo and i have kept it off. most of the weight that i gained was strictly in my belly which is a sign of insulin resistance. but since golo, that weight has completely gone away, as you can tell. thanks to golo and release, i've got my life and my health back. >> dana: welcome back to "america's newsroom." we have a look like right now of the israeli border with lebanon. you can see smoke rising in the distance and the unprecedented hamas terror attack against israel. the consequences of that being felt even in the united states. cities across country are ramping up security at houses of worship and while authorities say there are no credible threats, they are also not taking any chances. eric shawn is live outside a synagogue in new york city with this part of the story this morning . good morning, eric. >> good morning, dana. as you said, israel not far away, not a word away at all from new york city. both israel and this city victims of terrorism in the past and police here and elsewhere across the country beefing up security at houses of worship like this synagogue here on the upper east side of manhattan. they've established rolling patrols at synagogues, churches and mosques to prevent a terrorist attack. the standard procedure after world shaking events like hamas's savage attack against the jewish state. new york state comprises the largest jewish community outside of israel. 1.7 million jewish residents live here. >> the pd has a program called the house of worship are card. those cars are marked cars only deployed to not only synagogues but also mosques so there is a visible presence so people feel safer and know the police department is on it. they want to be observed. >> it's not just here at the big apple. in houston, chicago, miami, washington, d.c. and security is enhanced at houses of worship. los angeles adding extra eyes on both synagogues and mosques. the chief of police michael moore posted this. the los angeles police department is aware of the turmoil in the middle east and lives lost. in those areas where we serve both jewish and muslim communities we'll conducting extra patrols to insure the safety of all. thankfully officials in new york say there are no, as you said, specific credible threats. but this morning authorities taking no chances. >> dana: indeed. doing it all with basically all stressed. all of these police departments all across the country need to figure out a way to recruit more people so they can cover all these things we need. eric shawn, thank you. >> aishah: let's bring in general jack keane, fox news senior strategic analyst. we bring you in because the pentagon is moving some of its naval assets closer in the mediterranean towards israel. the gerald ford carrier strike group. the newest and largest aircraft carrier. i want to ask you and we're looking at it on the map on the left-hand side number one there. what can you tell us about the strike group? oftentimes when we do this, general, we're trying to send message. is this sending a message to iran perhaps to deter hezbollah? >> well, frankly, certainly we're demonstrating unhe q-- support to israel and this is a physical expression of that by repositioning our aircraft carrier normally in this area but getting closer to israel. we're sending that message to anybody that is thinking about expanding this war. obviously we know hamas conducted a surprise attack against israel. we're sending a message to hezbollah in lebanon and assad in syria and also to the iranians themselves and their houthi proxies that exist in yemen. yes, this is messages deterrents, don't get involved in expanding this war against israel. that's really what has taken place. >> aishah: let me ask you this. are we involved now? we have americans dead, nine at least. we have an unknown number of american hostages that we need to get out of there. do we have an obligation at this point to send in joint special operations? >> well, here is what we're doing. number one, they received $3 billion in military and foreign aid assistance every year. we have pre-positioned ammunition and stock there as well. they use that. they've asked for air defense missiles, bombs, and also some offensive missiles for their fighters. we will likely give them that and more. whatever they need we'll give them. during the 73 war we gave them 22 tons of equipment. fighters jets, tanks, ammunition. we're also helping them with intelligence. we always had a close relationship with them. now we have to focus. there is a war taking place. we have turned all our systems on this as well to assist them with intelligence. whether these hostages can be rescued with a military operation we would assist in the planning, coordination and actually in the participation of it. we have americans on the ground. we have a right to get them any place in the world as far as we're concerned. that's always been our mantra. it is too early to make those decisions. that is all being done in highly classified. i think if they could get them out of there and do it safely, they would want to do that. i think the reason why hamas took the hostages is to use them as leverage in negotiations. there is some talk that some negotiations have started. that would likely involve a third party. somebody like egypt. the -- in reference to getting back to the military equipment that's in the area, since israel became a state in 1948, they have never asked us to use our troops or our airplanes or our aircraft, our navy ships, submarines. no military capability have they asked us to use ourselves to assist them. they take great pride in doing that themselves. however, here is a possibility. if they get overwhelmed, they have three air defense systems, arrow, david sling and the one we talk about all the time iron dome. if it gets overloaded and swarmed and they can't stop the casualties to israeli citizens because of hezbollah's involvement. they have 130,000 plus rockets and missiles and the israeli ask the united states to assist them and taking out some of those batteries, i don't see how we could say no that to request. even though we would be the first one ever made since 1948. >> aishah: that would be my follow up. what is the scenario in which the u.s. enters the war directly? i spoke with ambassador who said they aren't expecting u.s. troops at this point. but you just laid out where that scenario could play out. i want to ask you about iraq and syria and our forces there. how vulnerable are they right now in those two areas? >> certainly there is always concern when something like this happens. we have a small segment of forces in syria and also in iraq. but we have -- still have significant presence in terms of air power coverage, etc. , in that area. our adversaries know full well if they make any attempt at those forces we'll respond very strongly in kind. by the way, in addition to repositioning the aircraft carrier and the destroyer and the cruisers, we have have brought in some additional fighter squadrons into the area in the last 48, 72 hours. so yes. our adversaries know we're there and we'll respond forcefully. >> aishah: general, i know you mentioned the $3 billion the president can draw down at any moment to send more weapons to israel. that's important. i wonder how long it goes on and if they need more aid? now we send aid and weapons to ukraine, to taiwan and possibly more weapons to israel. many americans will begin to wonder where does that leave us? >> well, i wonder if americans really would question us providing assistance to the israelis after what we've witnessed on the screen. is that what you are suggesting? i find that hard to believe that it would come down to not being able to provide them money. they've never asked for our troops. the ukrainians have not asked for our troops, either. but yet they've destroyed half of the russian military and they got back 83% of their territory with no american blood spent. i think we will give the israelis whatever they need and the president has made that statement. he was right in making it. the israelis know it. we've done it in the past. president nixon was the one who provided the huge amount of support in the 73 war. this is a close ally of ours and we will give them what they need. >> aishah: well put. i'm glad you laid it out for anyone wondering that. thank you, general. appreciate your time. >> great talking to you, thank you. [explosions] >> dana: state of war, israel retaliating with new air strikes on gaza after prime minister benjamin netanyahu declared war against hamas. the terrorist group launched a surprise assault on israel over the weekend. more than 800 are reported dead. thousands of others wounded and about one men, women and children, including the elderly, all taken hostage. now we're learning at least nine americans are amongst those killed. welcome to a new hour of "america's newsroom," i'm dana perino. bill hemmer is off today. >> aishah: i'm aishah hosni. the fierce battle with hamas terrorists in its third day. we've seen the pictures throughout the morning. israeli defense forces are bombarding terrorist targets inside the gaza strip. meanwhile the u.s. is moving the