Israel at War

"We are moving toward taking out Iranian nuclear facilities," an official tells Politico.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that direct US military assistance to Israel could extremely destabilize the situation in the Middle East.

American military preparations for joining Israel's strikes against Iran await an order. Administration maintains its demand for Tehran's complete nuclear surrender.

US official expresses concern over Israel's capacity to defend against ballistic attacks as Pentagon deploys additional assets.

US intelligence officials monitoring Israeli military preparations and political deliberations concluded that Netanyahu had moved past his historical pattern of yielding to American pressure. 

Sources familiar with the Trump's thinking describe his growing frustration with Iran's failure to provide immediate responses to American demands, ABC News reports. Trump appears highly reluctant to allow a situation where Tehran appears to have successfully challenged his military threats, according to these officials.

Additional intelligence sources by the NYT suggest Iran might deploy naval mines throughout the Strait of Hormuz during any conflict escalation, a strategy designed to trap American naval vessels within Persian Gulf waters.

The US military is sending additional fighter jets to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other fighter aircraft to strengthen American military forces in the region.

State-aligned Tehran Times claims Israeli agents ignited blaze to stir unrest, but no evidence supports the allegation.