Iran live updates: 7th killed service member is identified

Congressional staff were told by Trump administration officials in private briefings Sunday that Iran was not preparing to launch a preemptive strike against U.S. interests based on U.S. intelligence reports, four people familiar with the briefing told ABC News. CNN was the first to report this news.

This conflicts with what President Donald Trump and senior Trump administration officials said over the weekend.

The administration officials said there were indicators the Iranians could launch a preemptive attack against U.S. forces and allies in the region.

Trump said in his video address to the nation on Saturday, "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime."

Trump told ABC News on Saturday, "I think there was a threat."

"Had we not done 'Midnight Hammer,'" he said, referring to the U.S. strikes on Iran in June 2025, "which was one of the greatest things country has ever done, we would've been faced with a nuclear weapon within a month."

-ABC News' Rachel Scott, Shannon Kingston, Ben Siegel, Luke Barr

The Israel Defense Forces said it's striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. A large explosion was heard in Beirut around 9 a.m. ET.

In a statement on X, the U.S. Department of State Consular Affairs urged Americans not to travel to Lebanon.

"If you are in the country, depart Lebanon NOW while commercial flight options remain available," the statement said. "The security situation in Lebanon is volatile and unpredictable."

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not specify a timeline, but said, "This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives ... will take some time to achieve."

"We expect to take additional losses," he warned, "and as always, we will work to minimize U.S. losses. But as the secretary said, this is major combat operations."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also noted that "an effort of this scope will include casualties."

"War is hell and always will be. A grateful nation honors the four Americans we have lost thus far and those injured," he said.

Hegseth did not rule out troops on the ground.

Caine said that additional American forces, specifically tactical aviation, are headed into the region.

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said that Iran is prepared for a long war.

"Iran, unlike the United States, has prepared itself for a long war," Larijani wrote in a post on X on Monday. He added that Iranian armed forces "have not engaged in any attacks except in defense."

Earlier on Monday, Larijani said the Islamic Republic will not negotiate with the U.S.