The U.S. military has helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel, two U.S. officials said on Friday.

A senior commercial pilot who has flown the same Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Thursday spoke to NDTV for the first time in an exclusive interview on what may have gone wrong with the aircraft.

Prime Minister Netanyahu announced Israel’s ongoing military offensive against Iran, claiming the destruction of key military and nuclear assets. This operation, dubbed ‘Operation Rising Lion,’ follows Iran’s missile attack on Israeli territory, which Israel views as crossing a red line. Netanyahu urged the Iranian people to rise against their regime, as fears of regional escalation intensify amid the conflict.