According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov has just held a conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

"It was noted that a further escalation of tensions in the region and new, dangerous provocative actions could lead to a boost in tensions in the Middle East," the ministry said.

"Preventing such scenarios and removing their primary reasons must be a priority matter for the UN Security Council."

The UNSC is due to meet later today after Israel requested it condemn Iran's attack on Israel and designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation.

Image source, Reuters

We are now hearing from the G7 virtual summit hosted by President Biden.

G7 leaders condemned Iran's attack on Israel and reaffirmed full support to Tel Aviv, a statement says.

They also say they will work to stabilise the situation in the Middle East.

"With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided," the statement issued by G7 president Italy adds.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hoped Israel would show restraint in its response.

Lora Jones
Business reporter, BBC News

While Israel reopened its airspace earlier on Sunday, flights to Tel Aviv have been suspended by several European airlines who had only restarted them into the region weeks ago.

EasyJet has paused flights to and from Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday. Customers on affected flights should have been contacted directly and be eligible for a refund, voucher, or a free transfer to a new flight.

Budget airline Wizz Air has also suspended flights between the UK and Israel for Sunday and Monday, "following the ongoing escalation in the region". A spokesperson said all affected customers would be offered refund or rebooking options.

According to the Reuters news agency, United Airlines - the only major US airline to have resumed flights to Israel since the outbreak of the conflict - has also cancelled Sunday's scheduled flight between Newark and Tel Aviv.

The UK's foreign secretary has just held a call with his Iranian counterpart and has demanded Tehran "de-escalate".

Writing on social media, external Lord Cameron said he "formally condemned in the strongest terms Iran's attack on Israel".

Lord Cameron also urged the release of MSC Aries - the cargo ship which was seized by Iran as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

Below you can watch a clip of two people rappelling onto the vessel from a helicopter.

Earlier Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country's attack on Israel amounted to "exercising the right of legitimate defence" and said it would not hesitate to protect its interests in the future.

Hanoch Milwidsky, who is vice-president of the Israeli parliament and a Knesset member from PM Netanyahu's Likud Party, has told the BBC there is unanimity in the Israeli government that there should be a response to the Iranian attack.

“We knew it was coming, there was a lot of expectation and we were very happy that it ended the way it ended, at least this round,” he told the BBC's Newshour programme, referring to the large number of drones and missiles that were intercepted.

“I don’t think anybody in the government is really suggesting not to retaliate to this act”.

Asked if he believed there was similar unanimity within Israel's war cabinet, which was formed after the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza erupted, he said: "Absolutely."

“I don’t think anybody in his right mind can expect not to retaliate after hundreds of missiles were fired at our direction”.

Acknowledging the US desire to avoid military escalation in focus on diplomacy, he said this was a "very crucial time in the history of Israel".

"Of course we listen, we consult with all our friends in the world but eventually the last word should be ours.”

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

“Iran has taught Israel a lesson.” That’s how Professor Syed Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran put it when I asked him what Iran achieved in its first direct strike on Israel – an unprecedented attack Israel says failed.

He referred to what has long been seen as the byword for Iran’s security doctrine – “strategic patience.” Time and again, when its assets or individuals were attacked in what were widely known to be covert Israeli operations, Iran held back or retaliated through its regional proxies.

“The equation has changed,” Professor Marandi warned. “Whenever the Israeli regime touches any Iranian, the Iranians will hit back at the regime and the US and Britain who come to their aid.”

He insisted the Nevatim air force base in southern Israel was badly damaged by Iran’s precision missiles. Israel’s account was the direct hit caused light damage and the base was still functioning.

His stark warnings underline the heightened risk in this new chapter in the long-running shadow war between regional archrivals.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

For the last few hours, US national security spokesman has been making the rounds of US Sunday morning talk shows, with one message consistent in all his appearances: that US does not want a wider war in the Middle East.

On his last appearance, on CBS Meet the Press, Kirby said that what happens in the region "certainly has an effect on us", particularly the thousands of US troops deployed to Iraq, Syria and Jordan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kirby added, is "well aware that the President [Biden] is not looking for a conflict with Iran."

"We're not looking for a war with Iran. We're not looking for a broader regional conflict," he said. "But we will do what we have to do to help Israel defend itself."

Kirby also said that the US has communicated a warning to Iran about potential attacks on US personnel in the region.

"We're going to whatever steps we need to protect our troops, our facilities, and our ships in the region going forward," he added.

Iran state TV airs false video claiming Israel strikepublished at 16:00 British Summer Time 14 April

16:00 BST 14 April

Iran's state TV repeatedly aired a video of a fire in Chile today, claiming that it was footage of missiles successfully hitting targets in Israel.

The clip, run several times during the live coverage of Iran's retaliatory attack, shows a motorway in the foreground while a huge fire turns the night sky red.

A woman can be heard speaking in Spanish while another subs.

The video was one of several clips to show Iranian missiles and drones successfully pass through Israel's air defence "minutes ago" and strike pre-designated targets, state TV reported.

But the footage is neither recent nor related to Iran's retaliatory attack against Israel.

The BBC has found the original version of the clip posted to TikTok in February, external, showing a fire in Vina del Mar, Chile.

Several other Iranian news outlets also published the clip with the same false claim.

Military confrontation with Israel is the last thing most Iranians wantedpublished at 15:48 British Summer Time 14 April

15:48 BST 14 April

Behrang Tajdin
Economics correspondent, BBC Persian

With the official inflation rate standing at just over 40% and tens of millions of people struggling with the cost of living, a military confrontation with Israel was the last thing most Iranians wanted.

Since the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April, the value of the Iranian currency, Rial, has fallen by another 10% against the US Dollar.

Many are worried that, sooner or later, this will hike the prices of many goods, from mobile phones to home appliances and many foodstuff.

The Iranian government sets the price of some essential items such as bread and fuel, and lets many items be imported on a preferential exchange rate (in other words cheap foreign currency). But still the price of many goods follow the open market exchange rate.

Since the US left the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018 and re-imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Iran, especially curbing its ability to export crude oil, the Iranian economy has struggled with low (or even negative growth) and high rates of inflation.

What worries many people in Iran right now is how Israel might respond. Any further escalation could devalue its currency more, which would push up the prices even more, deepening the current cost of living crisis.

On Saturday night, for the first time ever, Iran carried out strikes against Israeli territory. Since then, there's been a flurry of updates to keep track a tab on. It's now 15:35 in London and 17:35 in Israel. If you're just joining us now, here are some of the key lines to be aware of:

• Israel says the vast majority of more than 300 drones and missiles launched by Iran were intercepted overnight
• At least nine countries were involved in the military escalation - with projectiles fired from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen and downed by Israel, the US, the UK and France as well as Jordan
• Iran says it has achieved its objective and has no intention to continue operations
• An Israeli war cabinet minister says the country will "exact a price" from Iran in response to its attack when the timing is right
• World leaders are urging restraint, while US President Joe Biden says he doesn't believe Iran's attack needs to escalate into a wider war, according to the National Security Council
• Iran notified its neighbours of its retaliatory strikes on Israel 72 hours in advance, according to its foreign minister

• G7 leaders are due to hold a virtual meeting in relation to Iran's attack
• Some 12 people were injured in Israel overall, the IDF has said, including a seven-year-old girl who remains in critical care, according to the medical centre

Israel’s war cabinet is currently meeting. We’ll be covering the latest developments as they unfold.

Image source, .

We've just published a piece that answers many of the questions you may have about the events overnight.

Why has Iran attacked Israel? Why are the two countries enemies? And what message is Iran sending through its attack?

The short answer to the question above is that Iran wanted to hit back after an attack on 1 April on its consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed senior Iranian commanders.

Iran blames Israel for the air strike, which it saw as a violation of its sovereignty. Israel has not said it carried it out but is widely assumed to have done so.

You can read more about this - and find out the answers to other questions you may have - by reading the full article:

• Why has Iran attacked Israel?

Some more details now on that young girl who was injured during Iran's attack on Israel. She remains in critical condition, the hospital treating her has said in a recent update.

She reportedly suffered her injuries after shrapnel from an intercepted missile fell on her family's home.

A statement from the hospital treating her, carried by NBC News, external has said: "The condition of the seven-year-old girl evacuated from the scene last night has worsened and remains critical and unstable.

"She is suffering from severe head injuries, and her life is in danger."

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Israel's potential response to Iran's attacks could be "significant" even as the US attempts to dissuade them from widening the conflict, Mick Mulroy, a former Deputy Secretary of Defence for the Middle East, tells me.

According to Mulroy, the Iranian attack could have killed "many" civilians and caused severe damage to Israeli civilian and commercial infrastructure.

Mulroy adds that he believes Israel will "likely" choose to respond directly in Iran, although the US will try to de-escalate the situation before that takes place.

"It could be as significant as striking suspected Iranian nuclear weapons facilities or going after their defence industrial base," he says.

"If they do either or both successfully, Iran [will have] made a strategic mistake in mounting this attack," Mulroy says.

Image source, EPA

Israel will "exact a price" from Iran in response to its attack on the country when the time is right, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz says.

In a statement released a short while ago - just before Israel's war cabinet convened - Gantz says: "We will build a regional coalition and exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us.

"And most importantly, faced with the desire of our enemies to harm us, we will continue to unite and become stronger."

Separately, Gantz says he has just finished speaking with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

"We discussed first and foremost the imperative of forming a global united front to counter emboldened Iranian aggression directly and through its proxies - regionally and globally," Gantz says in a social media post.

Israeli war cabinet began meeting at 15:00 local time (13:00 BST). We'll be bringing you any updates that we get from that meeting shortly.

Image source, Reuters

EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for an "extraordinary" meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on Tuesday to discuss Iran's attacks against Israel.

"Our objective is to contribute to de-escalation and security of the region" Borrell says in a social media post on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

We just heard again from National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who has been making the rounds on the morning talk shows here in the US.

Speaking to George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week just a few moments ago, Kirby says that - from a military standpoint - yesterday was "extraordinary" and that the attack on Israel was met with a "sense of unprecedented resolve".

"Truly a successful night, due to a lot of skill, a lot of professionalism and a lot of coordination across the board," he says, adding that he believes that the US "made good [on] our commitment" to help Israel.

He adds that the attack and response show that "a coalition" stands ready to help defend Israel, while Iran is "just increasingly further isolated in the region."

"It [also] tells me that Israel does have superior military capability," he says.

"Just think about the hardware that Iran threw into the sky and how little damage that caused."

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

I've just arrived at the White House.

It would normally be quiet here on a Sunday morning - but today there's a noticeable uptick in activity as reporters do live appearances for TV and radio outside or make phone calls and watch morning talk shows from their desks in the press area.

Getting inside was slightly more challenging than it usually is for me. As I arrived here this morning, staff were putting up metal barriers to keep the public away, forcing me to show my "hard pass" to move past uniformed Secret Service agents.

As of now, there's been no word about President Biden's plans today.

He was originally slated to be in Delaware - where he usually spends his weekends - until tonight, but last night he abruptly returned to meet with his national security team as the situation in the Middle East unfolded.

While his plan remains unclear, much of his focus, US officials have said, will be on de-escalating and preventing the conflict from widening in the coming hours and days.

Image source, EPA

US President Joe Biden doesn't believe Iran's attack on Israel needs to escalate into a wider war, according to the National Security Council.

Speaking on ABC's Meet the Press, external programme, John Kirby, the council's spokesman, was asked whether further escalation was likely.

"The president doesn't believe it needs to move in that direction whatsoever," Kirby said, adding that Biden was working the "diplomatic side" by calling a G7 meeting later today.

"What Israel demonstrated last night was an incredible ability to defend itself - just they're own military superiority was quite remarkable yesterday.

"Very little got through and the damage was extraordinary light," he added.

"The president has been clear we don't want this to escalate. The coming hours and days will tell us a lot."

Mood in Iran geared towards de-escalationpublished at 13:29 British Summer Time 14 April

13:29 BST 14 April

Jiyar Gol
BBC Persian

Image source, Reuters

Following the Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) drone and missile attack on Israel, many supporters of the Islamic Republic of Iran, bearing Palestinian symbols, took to the streets of Tehran in celebration.

The attack was seen as crucial for the IRGC to maintain its credibility among allies in the region and its domestic supporters.

Iran's Chief of Staff, Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, stated that among the targets inside Israel was the Israeli Notam Airforce base, where Israeli F35s flew two weeks ago, resulting in the deaths of seven IRGC commanders in the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

He asserted that Iran has achieved its objective and has no intention to continue operations.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi cautioned that any new attacks would elicit a significantly stronger response from Iran.

It appears that the mood in Iran is geared towards de-escalation and tension reduction. Both military and government officials seem content with last night's attack. It seems Iran, by allowing ample time for Israel to mount its defensive measures, had no intention of inflicting further damage or casualties.

All eyes on Israel's response to Iran attackspublished at 13:11 British Summer Time 14 April

13:11 BST 14 April

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Where this goes next from here depends in large part on how Israel decides to respond to last night's attack.

Countries in the region and elsewhere, including those that deeply dislike the Iranian regime, have urged restraint.

Iran's position is along the lines of: "Account settled, that is the end of the matter, do not hit back at us or we will mount a much stronger attack against you that you will not be able to ward off."

But, Israel has already vowed "a significant response" and its government has often been called one of the most hardline in Israeli history.

So what are Israel's options?

It could listen to its neighbours in the region and exercise what is known as "strategic patience", holding off from responding in kind.

Israel could retaliate with a series of similar, carefully calibrated, long-range missile strikes, targeting only those missile bases from which Iran launched last night's attack.

Or, it could choose to climb one more rung up the escalatory ladder, by broadening its possible response.

Read Frank Gardner's full analysis here.