Israel has a world-leading missile interception system but its bank of interceptors is finite.
The strike highlighted the risks to civilians in Israel and Iran after days of fighting between the two nations.
The largest perils may lie in the aftermath, many experts say, just as they did in Afghanistan and Iraq.
President Trump did not rule out U.S. military intervention on behalf of Israel, saying, “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Iran’s leader vowed that his country would respond to any U.S. involvement in the war with Israel.
Since shortly after it was founded in 1948, Israel has been intent on building a nuclear program to ensure its survival.
The International Atomic Energy Agency had initially said that the Friday attack had destroyed the aboveground part of the Natanz fuel enrichment plant, but its latest statement indicates more significant damage.
President Trump spent the first months of his term holding back Israel’s push for an assault on Iran’s nuclear program. With the war underway, his posture has gyrated as he weighs sending in the U.S. military.
The Gaza health ministry said that more than 50 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, and 20 on Monday, as they waited at food distribution sites.