The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday, the White House said.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Israel said early on Friday Middle East time and late Thursday U.S. time that it struck Iran and targeted its nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders. Israel warned it would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
The Trump administration sought to distance the U.S. from the strikes, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying, “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.” Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said Israel has an ongoing dialogue with Washington but its determination to strike Iran was an independent Israeli decision. When asked in a CNN interview if Israel expected the U.S. to assist Israel in case of an Iranian response, Ambassador Danny Danon said: “Don’t think we should go into speculation.” He added: “This decision was a decision of the Israeli leadership.”
The State Department said the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem directed all government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice.
CONTEXT
U.S. and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran’s escalating uranium enrichment program in Oman on Sunday, but after Israel’s strikes it was unclear if those would proceed.
Trump said earlier on Thursday an Israeli strike on Iran “could very well happen” but reiterated hopes for a peaceful resolution.
The U.S. military is planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a U.S. official told Reuters.
SECURITY ALERT BY U.S. EMBASSY
A security alert by the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem said the security environment was complex and could change quickly.
In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the U.S. embassy may further restrict or prohibit U.S. government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the State Department said.
