The president had opposed Israeli action against Iran but came to believe that Israel had reason to act and that the U.S. would have to lend some support.

Dozens of others were injured overnight across Israel, the authorities said. Israel was striking military sites in Iran and the four-day-old conflict showed no sign of slowing.

Israel’s military said it hit command centers of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, while Iranian strikes overnight killed several people.

Israel faced retaliation from Iran after launching missiles against Tehran's leadership and energy infrastructure as part of "Operation Rising Lion" this weekend. Iran's military responded with a wave of missile strikes against Israel,

It follows daytime attacks from both sides, with Israeli strikes in Tehran continuing and Iran firing more missiles towards Israel.

The retaliatory strikes came on Saturday, a day after Israel killed top Iranian military leaders and scientists and destroyed an aboveground nuclear enrichment plant near Natanz.

Israel and Iran bombarded each other for a third day, with international concern growing that the conflict will spread across one of the world’s key oil-producing regions.

After striking back on Friday night, Iran launched a new wave of strikes toward Israel on Saturday morning. Now, the two countries continue to exchange deadly missiles and threats, with fatalities and injuries reported on both sides.