The Israeli military said it had seized areas of southern Lebanon on Tuesday in its escalating conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, as the State Department closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after drone attacks and urged Americans to depart immediately from 14 Middle East countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly pushed for strikes against Iran, while Saudi Arabia’s role appeared more complex.

President Donald Trump said today that Tehran is seeking talks with the US as military operations against Iran continue but indicated he believes the opportunity for negotiations has passed.

President Trump launched a wide-ranging attack on Iran after weeks-long lobbying by an unusual pair of U.S. allies in the Middle East: Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The United States has urged all American nationals across West Asia to leave immediately using commercial flights, days after tensions surged following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The advisory,

Drone strikes led to the closure of Saudi Arabia's largest oil refinery as the war with Iran widened throughout the Middle East.

The kingdom acquiesced to Trump's decision to attack Iran but has privately told other GCC states to avoid taking moves that could elicit a response by Tehran or its proxies

Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, ​Algeria and Oman were already scheduled to meet on Sunday