Trump exhorts Iran to make a deal in the wake of Israeli strikes, while Tehran blames the US and vows to inflict ‘severe punishment’ on Israel

OPERATION RISING LION: Claiming that Iran was on the verge of producing as many as nine nuclear bombs, Israel launched what it said would be a multiday campaign to degrade Iran’s nuclear facilities and eliminate key military leaders and nuclear scientists.

The air attacks by more than 200 jets targeted Iran’s military bases and nuclear enrichment sites, including its primary site, a compound at Natanz in central Iran housing centrifuges, and other critical infrastructure. It included strikes by drone smuggled weapons ahead of time by Mossad, Israel’s spy agency.