U.S. Embassy in Israel closed from Tuesday due to ongoing Israel-Iran conflict

We begin in the Middle East where Israel and Iran continue to test each other with waves of attacks.

While the two sides appear to be far from meeting halfway, the U.S. is now closing down its embassy in Israel.

Our Choi Soo-hyung starts us off.

The U.S. Embassy in Israel shuttered its doors on Tuesday, local time.

On Monday, the embassy announced on its website that it was closing its offices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, due to the current security situation amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

Consular services, including passport services, will be suspended.

All employees and their family members have been ordered to shelter in place and nearby residences until further notice.

Tensions continued to rise in the Middle East as the Israel-Iran conflict entered its fifth day.

Some reports suggest that Israel may even attempt to assassinate Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as part of a plan to overthrow Iran's religious government.

"We're reshaping the Middle East, which could even lead to major changes in Iran itself."

So far, in Israel at least 24 people have been killed and nearly 600 injured since the fighting started.

In Iran, more than 224 people have been killed and around 14-hundred have been injured.

On Monday evening, the Israeli military conducted airstrikes on Iran's capital, Tehran, including the state-run IRIB broadcaster and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters killing Ali Shadmani, who it identified as Iran's wartime chief of staff.

The Israel Defense Forces also announced that they have disabled about 120 of Iran's missile launch sites.

In response, Iran continues to launch missiles and drones nightly.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, who was attending the G7 Summit in Canada, left the meeting early due to the escalating tensions.

President Trump plans to call an emergency National Security Council meeting after returning to Washington.

The New York Times reported he may discuss supplying Israel with bunker-busting bombs capable of striking Iran's underground nuclear sites.

It said that approving the request could mean direct U.S. involvement in the conflict, despite Trump's stance against American involvement in other countries' wars.

But he also remains firmly opposed to a nuclear-armed Iran.

The sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks was canceled after the Israeli attacks began.

Iran says it remains open to talks with the U.S., but has demanded that Israel stop its strikes first.

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.