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U.S. not involved in Israel's strikes, Rubio says
The United States was not part of the operation and was not involved in intelligence sharing, multiple U.S. sources told CBS News, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed this in a statement.
"Israel took unilateral action against Iran," he said. "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense."
Rubio added, "Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel."
President Trump is convening a National Security Council meeting in the Situation Room on Friday, the White House said.
The U.S. Embassy in Israel told government employees and their families to "shelter in place until further notice," amid the threat of a retaliatory strike by Iran.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said the military "launched a preemptive, precise, combined offensive based on high-quality intelligence to strike Iran's nuclear program, and in response to the Iranian regime's ongoing aggression against Israel."
The spokesperson said "dozens" of Israeli air force jets struck "dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran." The statement referred to it as "the first stage."
Iranian state media reported loud explosions and some casualties in the capital city of Tehran. State television later reported another round of strikes in Natanz, a city south of Tehran that is home to one of the country's uranium enrichment facilities.
"The American side requires practical steps aimed at eliminating the root causes of the fundamental contradictions between us in the area of security," he had said, originally in state TASS."Among these causes, NATO expansion is in the foreground," he emphasized. "Without resolving this fundamental and most acute problem for us, it is simply impossible to resolve the current conflict in the Euro-Atlantic region."
Comment: We all had prior knowledge of potential strikes. Israel's intent was no secret. It was a matter of 'when'.