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.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he knew all about Israel’s plan ahead of time, that he wasn’t given a mere “heads-up.”

Iranian officials have repeatedly denied seeking a nuclear weapon. The United States and Iran have held five rounds of negotiations toward achieving an agreement that would limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, with a sixth round of talks scheduled for Sunday.

Sirens sounded in Israel as Iran launched dozens of ballistic missiles in retaliation for Israel's strikes on its nuclear facilities.

National security experts warn that Israel's attack on Iran shows why Chinese land and asset purchases in the U.S. pose a significant threat to American security.

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 attacked Iran early Friday and killed many of the country’s top military leaders and scientists. Iran retaliated with missiles and drones.

The United States has pulled some diplomatic staff and military families out of the Middle East, citing unspecified regional security risks.