For decades, Iran and Israel have fought a shadow war. This year, their conflict has burst into the open.
Israel’s military is now preparing for a military strike on Iran — a retaliation for Iran’s launching about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has said his country’s counterattack will be “deadly, precise and above all, surprising.”
The strike, if and when it comes, could widen a regional conflict that erupted with a deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Here’s a look at everything we know about the potential Israeli military action against Iran, and the events that have brought the countries to this point.
