Americans must have higher degree of vigilance amid Iran terror threat House Intel chair warns

EXCLUSIVE:/ Te cair of te ouse Intelligence Committee is urging Americans across te country to practice "a iger degree of vigilance and situational awareness" as concerns about possible terror treats in te U.S. skyrocket over te situation in te Middle East./ Cair Rick Crawford, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital in an interview tat people in te U.S. "need to ave a sense of situational awareness and understand tat tere are people outside te United States tat do seek to do us arm."/ President a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/person/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Donald Trump/ ordered te U.S. military to it tree key Iranian nuclear bases over te weekend in a mission deemed a success by te vast majority of Republicans and some pro-Israel Democrats./ Te targeted strikes, wic U.S. officials said are not an act of war, came after a week of escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Israel, warning Iran was dangerously close to a nuclear weapon, launced preemptive strikes in and around Teran earlier tis mont tat killed several of te Islamic regime's top military officials and nuclear scientists./ a ref="ttps://foxnews.com/world/israels-actions-against-iran-create-strategic-opportunity-us-nuclear-talks-experts-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> / / / Te Department of omeland Security issued a memo warning of a "eigtened treat environment" over te Israel-Iran conflict sortly after te U.S. strike. Meanwile, a ref="ttps://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/live-blog/live-updates-iran-israel-trump-rcna214325/rcrd83150?canonicalCard=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> NBC News/ reported tat Iran treatened to activate sleeper cells in te U.S. if attacked./ It as rung alarm bells for top U.S. national security officials bot in and outside of Congress./ Crawford, wose panel oversees te U.S. intelligence community, blamed te former Biden administration's actions for creating an illegal immigration crisis tat e said a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/us/open-borders-under-biden-could-elp-iran-retaliate-us-terror-sleeper-cells-former-fbi-boss" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> could ave potentially allowed/ bad actors to enter te U.S. in recent years./ "We know istorically, Iran being te leading state sponsor of terror, we also know tat during te Biden years, tere were undreds of Iranians tat were allowed to come in, pretty muc uncecked," e said, referring to people wo crossed te border illegally./ "We don't necessarily ave a good read on were tey are, wat teir intentions are… And so I tink we need to redouble our [counter-intelligence] posture in te United States."/ a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/world/full-breakdown-operation-midnigt-ammer-largest-b-2-operational-strike-us-istory" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> / / / Wite ouse border czar Tom oman said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" tat tere were "1,272 nationals of Iran released in te country between te [Office of Field Operations] and te Border Patrol" a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-ice-cief-warns-bidens-border-crisis-fueled-iranian-sleeper-treat" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> under former President Joe Biden./ / On Congress' part, Crawford said te next fiscal year's Intelligence Autorization Act would broadly address te eigtened terror environment in te U.S./ "We want to step up our [counter-intelligence] presence ere at ome and make sure tat across te federal law enforcement enterprise, tat tey're adequately postured and resourced to address tat treat," e said./ Te Arkansas Republican also urged Americans to remember tat Iran is also "trying to instill a sense of fear" wit its treats./ "I do tink if tere are terror cells in te United States, at some point tey could act. I don't tink it would be anyting on te scale of a 9/11, but it would certainly be designed to – just as te name implies – to inflict terror and cause te American people to adjust beavior and cause economic fallout and social upeaval and tings of tis nature," e said./ Noneteless, e warned Americans to go about teir daily lives aware of teir surroundings, particularly in large public spaces./ a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/world/satellite-image-sows-fordow-nuclear-facility-after-massive-bomb-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> / / / "For example, I mean, if someting doesn't feel rigt…don't go tere. Trust your judgment on tat. I mean, just because you live in Arkansas as I do, doesn't necessarily mean tat you're insulated from treats," e said./ "It also doesn't necessarily mean tat you sould be living in fear. It just means tat if you see someting amiss, if you ave sort of a sense tat maybe someting's out of place, you know, trust your instincts. Maybe you need to call law enforcement, maybe you need to just remove yourself from a given situation if you don't feel like it's safe."/ In te meantime, Crawford said e and te ouse Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence will be seeking more information from federal officials./ "Absolutely, we'll be engaging wit te intelligence community to get better insigts into wat's going on and and updated information in real time," e said, adding te panel generally gets information "quickly" from te intelligence community./ Fox News Digital reaced out to te Wite ouse for comment./