Israel’s attack on Iran was long in the making – the result of years of meticulous planning by Israel and days of high-stakes talks between Tel Aviv and Washington, officials told CNN.

The United States intervened militarily in the unfolding conflict, with the American forces helping shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel. President Donald Trump commented that Tehran could still de-escalate the situation by agreeing to a deal on its nuclear programme.

Israel on Friday launched a massive new attack on Iran, conducting unprecedented air strikes against the Iranian regime’s top military leaders, nuclear facilities, and a number of other targets. The waves of air strikes continue,

Israel's attack on Iran raises questions like whether the US will get involved, how Iran will respond, and if a wider conflict may be triggered.

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.

"Hezbollah is committed to the ceasefire agreement, even though Israel has not respected this commitment over the past period," the spokesperson said. "It continues to kill, assassinate, and attack areas, including entering border villages and remaining at the five points."

Crude oil futures fell more than 1% on Thursday, after spiking sharply in the previous session on fears that Israel and Iran are on the brink of war. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down $1.02, or 1.