Shapiro served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East until January—charged with, among other things, considering scenarios in which tensions between Israel and Iran escalated into all-out war and preparing U.

Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on Israel killing at least three people, after a series of Israeli attacks struck the heart of Iran's nuclear program

Sirens sounded in Israel as Iran launched dozens of ballistic missiles in retaliation for Israel's strikes on its nuclear facilities.

National security experts warn that Israel's attack on Iran shows why Chinese land and asset purchases in the U.S. pose a significant threat to American security.

The United States is the main international backer of Israel, Iran's biggest regional foe. It is also a close ally of Sunni Gulf monarchies which for years pursued their own rivalry with the Islamic Republic, seeing it as their main regional threat.

The United States has pulled some diplomatic staff and military families out of the Middle East, citing unspecified regional security risks.

Interviews with half a dozen senior Iranian officials show that they were not expecting Israel to strike before another round of talks.

Because the missiles were part of a US $7.4 billion arms package approved by Congress in February, the transfer required no new notification.