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.

"Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire," President Donald Trump said.

Republicans and some Democrats offered strong support for Israel’s move, but many Democrats called for de-escalation and warned of the consequences of a broader war.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel’s defense minister warned Iran on Saturday that “Tehran will burn” if it continues firing missiles. Speaking after an assessment meeting with the army’s chief of staff, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was not involved in Israel's attack and warned Iran not to target U.S. forces. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,

Israel changed the face of the Middle East by launching an unprecedented attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and killing a slew of senior Iranian commanders. Iran

Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s vows of reprisals have brought the two Middle East adversaries closer to an all-out war, which also threatens to draw in the United States, at least to some degree

"This confrontation will not end with last night's limited actions and Iran's strikes will continue, and this action will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors," Fars reported, citing senior military officials.