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.

Three people have been killed in Israel, according to officials and local media, with both sides saying the strikes will continue.

Israel’s leader and President Trump appeared to bet they can persevere, but other world leaders warned of unintended outcomes in a volatile region.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo appealed on Saturday for authorities in Iran and Israel to act with "reason" after recent airstrikes and to pursue dialogue. He told an audience in St. Peter's Basilica he was following the situation with "great concern."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was not involved in Israel's attack and warned Iran not to target U.S. forces. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,

Iran has launched retaliatory missile strikes on Israel into Saturday morning after a series of blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran’s nuclear program and its armed forces, killing at least

Iran slammed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s vote as politically motivated as the region gears up for a potential Israeli strike.