Israel has a world-leading missile interception system but its bank of interceptors is finite.
President Trump did not rule out U.S. military intervention on behalf of Israel, saying, “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
They rose more than 4 percent as traders wondered if the United States would take a more active role in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
The decision to launch a full-on attack on Iran would be in the gray area between the president’s powers as commander in chief and the Constitution’s mandate that only Congress can declare war.
Maj. Gen. Ali Shadmani had been in the job for mere days. News of his death came as President Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and threatened its supreme leader.
The cleric has ruled for more than three decades, spearheading a policy of backing proxy groups to wield influence across the Middle East.
Israel’s military campaign reminds some of America’s ill-fated Middle East interventions, which President Trump has long denounced.
The president wrote in a social media post that the United States knew his location.
Israel’s escalated offensive indicates that its aims go beyond dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.