Hours after a top Iranian military official on Monday claimed that Pakistan has assured launching a nuclear attack against Israel if the latter dropped a nuclear bomb on Iran, a shaken Islamabad termed the news as "fake" which it said has even been carried by the British press.

Experts suggest the U.S. has a strategic opportunity to leverage Iran's weakened position for a nuclear deal after Israel's targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites.

Israel’s foremost fear remains Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Tehran insists its nuclear programme serves peaceful energy needs.

Iran will take even tougher action against Israel if attacks escalate President Masoud Pezeshkian warned during a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Sunday. He spoke after both sides launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday.

Despite stunning early successes in Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran, a weekend of intensive bombardment and retaliation is raising questions about Israel’s exit strategy – how it can end this conflict with its ambitious goals achieved.

The streets of Tel Aviv were calm on Friday morning, even as the country's leaders warned the public to brace for Iranian retaliation after Israel launched a widescale attack on Iran.

President Donald Trump vetoed a plan presented to the U.S. in recent days to kill Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter