Iran-Israel War: Benjamin Netanyahu held 5-hour meeting with top officials throughout US strikes, says CNN

Iran-Israel War: The United States military struck three sites in Iran on Sunday, marking its official entry into the Israel-Iran war that started about a week ago.

President Donald Trump was the first to disclose the strikes. Speaking from the White House after the strikes, President Trump dubbed Iran as "the bully of the Middle East" and warned that the Islamic country “must now make peace.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded President Trump and said that the US acted “with a lot of strength.” Netanyahu said in a video that Trump called him after the strikes. “It was a very warm conversation, very emotional,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu's five-hour meeting

Netanyahu held a five-hour meeting with his top officials that lasted throughout the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, CNN said, quoting sources.

The security cabinet meeting began at 10 PM local time and continued until the US carried out its strikes at approximately 3 AM local time. The discussion ended after the US strikes, the CNN report said.

Israel also held a security cabinet meeting to monitor the US bombing mission, according to the report. The meeting, which was attended by senior officials involved in Israel’s handling of Iran, included several of those closest to Netanyahu. Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer, along with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, attended the meeting.

Israel’s military chief of staff and the head of its Mossad spy agency were also part of the meeting. Far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich participated as well.

'Critical to avoid a spiral of chaos'

After the US bombing, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the US strikes on Iran represent a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region, posing a serious threat to global peace and security.

“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” Guterres said in a statement as reported by news agency Reuters.

Guterres also said it was critical to avoid a spiral of chaos at this hour. “At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,” he said.

Amid UN warning, Hossein Shariatmadari, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's representative, has reportedly called for immediate retaliation following the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Shariatmadari's statement comes hours after US B-2 bombers struck three nuclear facilities in Iran as the Islamic Republic's war with Israel entered its second week.

Shariatmadari, the managing editor of Kayhan and also known to be Ali Khamenei's close confidant, has said that Iran should launch a missile strike on the US naval fleet in Bahrain and close the Strait of Hormuz to American, British, German, and French ships.