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.

Israel's unprecedented strikes on Iran, which have killed top military leaders and nuclear scientists, required years of meticulous intelligence gathering and infiltration, experts say.

The push to do a deal on the country’s nuclear program could be revived, even after the Israeli strikes scuppered the latest round of talks.

The death toll grew Sunday as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks for a third consecutive day, with Israel warning that worse is to come.

Israel and Iran have continued to trade heavy missile strikes overnight as Donald Trump threatens to respond 'at levels never seen before' if Tehran attacks US bases.Posting on Truth Social, the US president said his forces had “nothing to do with the attack on Iran,

The United States is the main international backer of Israel, Iran's biggest regional foe. It is also a close ally of Sunni Gulf monarchies which for years pursued their own rivalry with the Islamic Republic, seeing it as their main regional threat.

Israel's operation against Iran is projected to last "weeks, not days," with implicit US approval, according to White House and Israeli officials.

The country’s exports mostly come from Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. But Israel’s energy facilities are also at risk.