At least 24 people have been killed in Israel as Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes targeting civilian areas. A U.S. Embassy branch in Tel Aviv suffered minor damage.

A key part of Hezbollah’s mission as an Iran-backed militia across the border from Israel is to act as a deterrent to attacks meant to hurt Tehran.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was long considered Iran’s first line of defense in case of a war with Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces overnight wiped out the command center of Iran’s Quds Force — the elite military unit that served as the “main conduit” for proxy terror attacks by

Israel launched blistering attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones previously smuggled into the country to attack key facilities and kill top generals and scientists -- a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.

Countries in the region condemned Israel’s attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate de-escalation from both sides.