Republicans and some Democrats offered strong support for Israel’s move, but many Democrats called for de-escalation and warned of the consequences of a broader war.

Since Israel began its concerted attack on Iran on Friday, calls for regime change in Iran have grown louder – from hawks in the US Congress to Israeli officials and some Iranian activists abroad.

The death toll is rising as Israel and Iran traded missile strikes for a third straight day. The death toll grew Sunday as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks for a third consecutive day, with Israel warning that worse is to come.

Throughout the day on Friday, Israel carried out wave upon wave of strikes on nuclear facilities and missile bases in Iran. The Natanz uranium enrichment site and the nuclear facility in Isfahan have been hit and top military leaders have been assassinated - as have nuclear scientists.

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.

Israel has targeted Iran’s Defence Ministry headquarters and Tehran simultaneously launched a deadly missile strike as tensions continue to mount over the conflict.The exchange of fire happened in the early hours of Sunday.