In many ways, it’s conceivable that Israel's Operation Rising Lion will alter the military balance of power in the Middle East more so than the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

It’s too soon to tell how exactly the current wave of Israeli strikes could transform the region, but one thing is clear: Israel’s actions have fundamentally reshaped the security landscape of the Middle East.

Stock futures wavered before Monday's session as the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran spiked oil prices and raised investors' concerns about the global economy. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures shed 56 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures lost 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures traded around their flatline.

The U.S. was represented at the UN Security Council's emergency session on Friday by State Department Senior Bureau Official McCoy Pitt, who said the U.S. was advised by Israel that the actions carried out against Iran overnight were "necessary for its self-defense."

The conflict, the most intense fighting between the two countries in decades, has been met in the United States with feelings of “frustration and helplessness,” as well as heartbreak.

Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran