Israel began its attack against Iran in retaliation for its massive ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.

The big picture: U.S. and Israeli officials believe Iran will respond militarily, but hope it will be limited and allow the two adversaries to break the tit-for-tat cycle.

• The Biden administration is concerned that a significant Iranian response could lead to an all-out war between Israel and Iran.

Driving the news: Iranian state TV reported explosions early Saturday morning local time in several areas of the country, including Tehran.

• “In response to months of continuous attacks … the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” the IDF said in a statement.
• “Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” the statement continued.
• The Israeli security cabinet approved the strike in Iran in a secure conference call on Friday night, an Israeli official said.
• U.S. officials said the Biden administration was notified hours in advance that the Israeli airstrike was going to take place on Friday night.

Zoom out: The U.S. military boosted its forces in the region in the last few weeks ahead of Israel’s possible attack on Iran.

• U.S. officials said the goal was to deter Iran from responding and help Israel defend itself from another Iranian missile barrage.
• President Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin decided to deploy a THAAD missile defense system in Israel with a crew of U.S. military operators.
  • That means U.S. soldiers could actively engage in the fighting between Israel and Iran on Israeli soil.
  • On Friday, several hours before the Israeli strike, CENTCOM announced that U.S. Air Force F-16s from the 480th Fighter Squadron based at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany had arrived in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.

  Between the lines: Earlier this week, the FBI opened an investigation into the leak of top secret U.S. intelligence documents regarding Israel’s preparation for an attack against Iran.

  • The leak was one of the most serious security breaches within the U.S. intelligence community in years.
  • It exposed sensitive U.S. spying on one of its closest allies, and potentially risked disrupting the Israeli attack.

  This story is breaking news. Please check back for update

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