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.

An anti-interventionist bent within the Republican Party, meanwhile, was putting pressure on the party’s long-reliable support for Israel. But in the hours after the strike, many of those tensions receded — though did not vanish.

India shares cordial ties with both Israel and Iran, which appear on the brink of an all-out war. New Delhi has enhanced relations with Tel Aviv in recent years, while trade and connectivity links it to Tehran.

The timing of Israel’s air strikes suggest to some that the US influence over Benjamin Netanyahu has weakened.

Edition hosts speak to Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon and an U.S.-Iranian relations expert about Israel's strike on Iran.

The U.S. is reducing non-essential diplomatic personnel in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran over its nuclear program. The State Department's decision affects staff in Baghdad, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Japanese stocks dropped on news of Israel’s military strike on Iran, pushing the benchmark Nikkei 225 down by 1.25 per cent during the first hour of trading in Tokyo. South Korea’s Kospi index fell more than 1 per cent in the early part of its morning session.

During his visit to the Middle East in May, U.S. President Donald Trump did several things that few would have predicted months or even weeks earlier. One was his surprise meeting with Syria’s new leader,

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