Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, the UK's Foreign Secretary David Cameron said a number one priority for Westminster is ensuring that enough aid gets into Gaza - and hostages get out. Let's remind ourselves of the current humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave:

• Since Israel began its military campaign against Hamas, the UN says almost all of Gaza's population (more than 2.3 million people) have been displaced and lack access to sufficient shelter, food, medical services, clean water, and education
• More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking about 250 hostage - around 130 of them remain unaccounted for and at least 34 of them are presumed dead
• Gaza's hospital system has been described by the UN as "decimated" and lacking resources, following sustained raids by the Israeli military on hospitals it said Hamas was using as control centres
• The UN continues to warn that famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where seven aid workers were killed by an Israeli strike earlier this month - leading US President Joe Biden to warn Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that more needed to be done to protect Palestinian civilians and aid workers during the conflict
• Two additional humanitarian routes into Gaza have since been approved by Israel, which has vehemently denied using starvation as a weapon of war
• Still, aid agencies maintain that not enough supplies can reach civilians - and at least 27 children have died as a result of malnutrition since October, according to the World Health Organization

'The children didn't sleep all night' - Israeli on Iran attackpublished at 10:10 British Summer Time 15 April

10:10 BST 15 April

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

The story of Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel would have been different if the Israeli response had not been so successful. Israel says 99% of the 300 drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that had been fired were shot down by the country and its allies.

On Sunday, as Israel returned to normal, that was a source of celebration - while everyone, here and elsewhere, waited for a possible Israeli reaction.

“The power of Israel is that we have a shield, a defence from these threats,” 54-year-old Ariel tells me, in Jerusalem. “[The Iranian attack] was expected ... Israel is probably going to respond. I hope there won’t be a [wider] war.”

Iran’s attack was not a surprise, as for almost two weeks the country had publicised its intention to respond to an air strike on its diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed several military advisers, including two top generals - an attack widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.

“We knew that Iran was going to attack... we were a bit nervous. But we know we have a great shield,” 44-year-old Einat says. “We don’t want things to get worse [with a reaction].”

The US was one of the countries that helped in the Israeli defence, but Biden administration officials are saying there will not be American support to an Israeli response, and that Israel’s reaction to the attack was already a victory over Iran.

“It was a terrifying [night], the children didn’t sleep all night, they came to our bed, slept with us,” 41-year-old Moran says. “We have the most powerful army in the world, and we believe it will be okay. I wish we would attack, but we can’t because of the US.”

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Iran is much bigger than Israel geographically and has a population of nearly 90 million, almost 10 times as big as Israel's - but this does not translate into greater military power.

Iran has invested heavily in missiles and drones. It has a vast arsenal of its own but has also been supplying significant amounts to its proxies - the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

What it lacks is modern air defence systems and fighter jets. Russia is believed to be co-operating with Iran to improve those, in return for the military support Tehran has provided Moscow in its war with Ukraine - largely in the form of Shahed drones which the Russians are reportedly now manufacturing themselves.

By contrast, Israel has one of the most advanced air forces in the world. According to the IISS military balance, Israel has at least 14 squadrons of jets - including F15, F16 and the latest F-35 stealth jets.

Israel also has experience of conducting strikes deep inside hostile territory.

In an operational update, the Israeli military says it intercepted an unmanned aircraft that made its way into Israeli territory "from the east" overnight into Monday.

No casualties or damage have been reported, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The IDF did not comment on who it believed had launched the drone.

So far today, we've heard reaction to Iran's weekend strikes on Israel from the UK government and the UN. Let's now hear from Israel itself.

David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, says Israel's right to defend itself is of paramount importance following the events of Saturday night.

"We are at the very essence not a war-seeking nation," Mencer tells Radio 4's Today programme, adding: "Israelis spent a night - mums, dads, kids - in and out of bomb shelters in our country. We know that the tyrants of Tehran orchestrated not only this attack, but also the 7 October massacre of my people."

He adds that it's "up to Israel to decide how to defend its people".

Iran's missile attack against Israel followed a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria at the start of this month. Iran said it killed two Revolutionary Guards generals and five other officers and blamed Israel. Israel has not said it carried out the consulate strike, but is widely believed to have been behind it.

Iranian officials have publicly denied being involved or ordering Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel.

Image source, EPA

Foreign Secretary David Cameron has been doing the government's media round this morning and spoke to our colleagues at BBC Breakfast and Radio 4's Today programme along the way.

The focus of both interviews was Iran's strikes on Israel over the weekend - and the UK's involvement by helping to defend Israel. Here are the key things he said:

• Cameron was unequivocal that Israel has a right to defend itself against attacks from Iran - but said the UK's advice is not to retaliate, calling on Israel to think with "its head, not its heart"
• The attack from Iran was a "double defeat", he said, because it failed both in terms of damage to Israel and showed Iran to be the "malign influence in the region"
• Cameron praised the involvement of the RAF in shooting down drones bound for Israel on Saturday night. Had the attack succeeded, he said, thousands could have died
• When pushed on whether the UK has been stern enough on Israel in terms of protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza, he said the UK's efforts are focused on ensuring a pause in fighting and getting aid into Gaza
• We've also been told to expect a statement from PM Rishi Sunak later today, who'll be speaking in the House of Commons

The BBC's Nick Robinson finishes the interview by asking whether the real risk in this war is Western governments supporting Israel when it's under attack, which then empowers it to go too far in its response.

Cameron says he doesn't think that's right "at all" - and repeats that the true "malign influence" in the region is Iran, which he says backs groups like Hamas.

The UK's foreign secretary adds: "What we have to do with allies is win the argument in the broader global environment about who is really the aggressor here - but also make sure we try and de-escalate the situation so there isn't further loss of life and suffering."

That's the interview done - stay tuned for a round-up of what we've heard from Cameron this morning.

Image source, PA Media

Cameron's asked what his fears would be if Israel took major retaliatory action against Iran.

He says in any action taken, "there's always a danger of miscalculation".

Cameron says, as an example, he'd argue that the Iranians "badly miscalculated" their strikes on Israel.

He says he spoke to the Iranian foreign minister, and that Iran claims it was the "minimum they could possibly do", and that they "clearly hoped more of their weapons would get through".

Israel has the right to respond, he says, but repeats that the UK thinks this should be avoided.

Continuing the conversation about British arms sales to Israel, Cameron says that the attack on Saturday night proved Israel sometimes "does need to defend itself and indeed has the means to do so".

He is pushed by Nick Robinson on whether the UK is being firm enough with Israel.

Cameron says he's focused on ensuring a pause in fighting and getting aid into Gaza and ensuring the conflict doesn't escalate.

Cameron is now pressed on why the UK keeps selling arms to Israel and about the warnings about famine.

Cameron avoids the question, instead repeating that Israel has a right to defend itself and it's "frustrating" that aid hasn't been getting into Gaza.

The BBC's Nick Robinson picks at the word "frustrating" and says it doesn't quite do the situation justice, to which Cameron says the UK government has made its position clear: "We were one of the first to drop aid over Gaza - we've been absolutely clear about this and we are now making progress".

Now Cameron is asked about the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate Damascus on 1 April, which Iran says caused it to retaliate.

The foreign secretary says from their perspective, the Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) are "arranging Hamas's attacks on Israel".

Cameron says the response directly from Iran into Israel "is of a different order, and that's why I think it was right for us to take the decisions" that the UK and the US made.

Context: Iran launched around 300 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles from its own territory at Israel's. Almost all of them were stopped by air defences; Israel's own considerable capabilities, bolstered by the US, UK and Jordan.

The foreign secretary is next asked whether there should be a parliamentary vote on any future deployment of British troops to the Middle East.

Cameron says there hasn't been a need for a vote as yet because there has been cross party support for all of the action the government has taken so far.

He adds that "parliament can always find a way to have a vote if it wants one, but says "I'll leave that for the prime minister to decide".

Cameron is repeating some of what he said earlier to our colleagues on BBC Breakfast about Israel having the right to defend itself, which you can catch up on in earlier posts.

The BBC's Nick Robinson pushes the foreign secretary on whether the UK has told Israel to refrain from going further.

Cameron responds by saying the focus should be on getting hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza out of there.

We're hearing again now from UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, this time on the Today programme.

The interview kicks off with a question about why British lives should be risked and taxpayers' money spent by getting involved in the conflict.

He says the government wants to avoid an escalation of the conflict for the UK's own national interests.

"I think it's right this happened," he says, adding that the UK helped avoid lives being lost.

He says Iran attempted a massive attack on Israel, and had it been successful, there could have been thousands of casualties.

As we're listening to David Cameron, we're also hearing that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will make a statement in the House of Commons this afternoon addressing Iran’s attack on Israel.

Here's Foreign Secretary David Cameron telling the BBC a few moments ago that Iran suffered a "double defeat" after its attack on Israel failed.

He's about to speak to the Today programme, which we'll be listening in to and will bring you key lines from. You can also listen to the interview yourself by tapping the Play button at the top of the page.

David Cameron finishes his interview on BBC Breakfast by advising anyone planning to travel to the Middle East to look at the latest travel advice.

"It's updated hourly", he says, and should be reviewed carefully before making any travel plans.

It's put to Cameron that the opposition Labour Party is calling for more sanctions on Iran. He's asked if he agrees.

Cameron says yes, and that the government has already placed 400 sanctions on Iran. A whole new sanctions regime was put in place at the end of last year, he says.

The IRGC, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, has been sanctioned in its entirety, Cameron adds. "We'll continue to look at what further steps we can do."

He says "all these things are more effective if countries can act together", adding that Iran is the "malign actor in the region and it's better if we can work together".

Asked if the UK will follow the same path as the US - by saying it won't get involved in retaliatory action - Cameron repeats that Israel must think with "its head, not its heart".

But he acknowledges that a country must make up its own mind about how it protects its people.

Pushed on whether the UK would get involved, Cameron says the UK believes no escalatory action should happen. "Our advice is don't retaliate", he adds.

Cameron is discussing the UK's involvement in the response to Iran's attack.

He says he wouldn't "overstate what we did on Saturday night", but the UK did provide airplanes to backfill for the US as part of another separate joint operation.

That allowed the US to do more to protect Israel, he says, adding that the UK told its pilots if drones and missiles were coming in from where they were they should shoot them down, "and they did".

He says it's a testament to their "skill, brilliance, to their bravery".