Israel’s unprecedented attacks on Iran had at their core an elusive and high-risk goal: eradicating the country’s controversial 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.

Israel said hundreds of airstrikes over the past two days killed nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran’s nuclear program, in addition to several top generals.

Israel would likely need U.S. weapons to target some of Iran's nuclear facilities.

But Israel’s attack on Iran — and a subsequent Iranian counterattack — was enough to shake things up on Friday.

Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country.

Iran could be poised to withdraw from an international accord that seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. This follows growing tensions with the United Nations’ atomic watchdog, compounded by Israel’s attacks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.