Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, as Israel launched a preemptive strike. Israel is under a state of emergency, as Iran retaliated Friday night with missile attacks.

Shapiro served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East until January—charged with, among other things, considering scenarios in which tensions between Israel and Iran escalated into all-out war and preparing U.

Iranian state media has confirmed that Israel killed the top Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander in major airstrikes targeting

Washington was not involved in Israel’s attack on Iran late Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed as he warned Tehran not to target American interests in the Middle East.

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday said that the United States “needs to be prepared” to help Israel destroy the Iranian nuclear program. “If Israel needs our help to ensure

Israel said it has launched a series of strikes against Iran that included dozens of military targets, including the country's nuclear program, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Defense Minister Israel Katz described the strikes as "preemptive" and declared a state of emergency.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the first to respond to the attack publicly with a statement Thursday evening — but others have yet to comment.