Pittsburgh-area leaders react to strikes in Israel and Iran
KDKA is reaching out to local leaders to get their reaction to the strikes in Israel and Iran.
Thursday, Israel launched unprecedented strikes on the Islamic country. The target: Iran's nuclear program.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is reacting to the move.
"Shocked at the intensity of the attack but also we had intelligence leading up to this that something was going to be happening, so not completely out of the blue," said Shawn Brokos, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh's director of community security.
The federation is in contact with law enforcement. On Thursday night, they sent emails to members of the community, urging them to be vigilant.
"Which is not new, but to also employ best practices for security and we are also coordinating with local police as far as having some additional marked units and a police presence at a lot of our events this weekend," Brokos explained.
Friday, Iran struck back, hoping to send a message of its own by launching retaliatory missiles in Tel Aviv.
President Trump said on social media Friday that Iran should agree to a nuclear deal before there is nothing left.
One expert said it's hard for decisions to be made once the fighting is underway.
"Decision making is probably partly paralyzed. We don't know how much Iran's effective capabilities have been destroyed or hampered as a result of Israeli operations," explained Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group's Iran Project director.
KDKA-TV reached out to the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh and the Muslim Association of Greater Pittsburgh for comment, but didn't hear back.
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