Israel’s strike on Iranian nuclear and military facilities has pushed West Asia one step closer to a far wider, more dangerous regional war. It also has implications for recent US diplomatic efforts toward a deal with Tehran over its nuclear program.

Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran.

Iranian state television, long controlled by hard-line supporters of the country’s theocracy, repeatedly aired footage of missile strikes on Tel Aviv throughout the morning.