It remained to be seen whether the attack would ignite a regional war or provide the U.S. and Iran with an off-ramp from their intensifying confrontation.

Iran announced Monday night that it had launched an attack on American forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, calling it a “mighty and successful response" to U.S. aggression.

Israel is looking to wrap up its campaign in Iran soon and has passed the message on to the United States, according to three Israeli officials, though much depends on its adversary's next move.