Senior U.S. and Israeli officials will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday about Israel's plans for the southern Gaza city of Rafah as Washington seeks alternatives to an Israeli offensive, U.S. and Israeli officials said.
Early Friday morning local time, Israel launched a limited attack on Iran, prompting a muted response from the Islamic Republic and criticism from a far-right Israeli official who said the attack did not go far enough.
The limited scale of the attack and Iran's muted response appeared to signal a successful effort by diplomats who have been working to avert all-out war since an Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday.
Israel launched strikes against Iran early on Friday morning, Israeli and western officials said, in what appeared to be limited retaliatory action for last week’s drone and missile attack by Tehran.
Israel’s reported response follows Iran’s attack over the weekend. The war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip has inflamed decade-old tensions in the Middle East.