It is also potentially a far larger campaign than the 12-day conflict in June 2025, which involved the US, Israel, and Iran. One US official said the US fully expected Iran to retaliate, leading to prolonged back-and-forth strikes and reprisals.

CBS News reported on Sunday that President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in December that he would support Israeli strikes on Iran's ballistic missile program if a deal between Washington and Tehran fails.