As we've been reporting, Iran had long been warning that it would launch an attack on Israel in retaliation to a strike on the Iranian consulate building in Syria's capital, Damascus, earlier this month. As a reminder, here's how that attack unfolded:

• Syria's defence ministry said Israeli aircraft targeted the Iranian consulate building, which was on a highway in the western Mezzeh district of Damascus, from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights
• Syrian air defences shot down some of the missiles they launched, but others made it through and "destroyed the entire building, killing and injuring everyone inside", the ministry added
• The strike killed seven of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) officers, including top commanders Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Brig-Gen Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi
• Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the attack, saying it does not not comment on foreign media reports
• However, Israel has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran and allied armed groups which are armed, funded and trained by the Revolutionary Guards
• Israeli strikes have reportedly been stepped up since the start of the war in Gaza in October last year, in response to cross-border attacks on northern Israel by Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups in Lebanon and Syria
• Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said he strongly condemned what he called "this heinous terrorist attack", adding that it had killed "a number of innocent people"

Image source, .

Iran has reiterated a warning to Israel on Sunday, saying it should not respond to its unprecedented attack on Israeli territory and that its next steps would be bigger should this happen.

The Iranian armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, told state TV that if Israeli retaliates, Iran's response would be "much larger" than the overnight bombardment, Reuters reports.

Iran also warned Washington that backing Israeli retaliation would lead to the targeting of US bases.

Earlier, Iran's mission to the UN cited the UN Charter provision for self defence, under Article 51, and said that the country considered "this matter... concluded" after its barrage against Israel, while also warning Israeli against making "another mistake".

Israel weighing all options as allies urge restraintpublished at 08:22 British Summer Time 14 April

08:22 BST 14 April

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

There was so much discussion in the run-up to the Iranian strike, which was telegraphed by the US, with Joe Biden days ago saying that an attack was imminent and that it would happen sooner rather than later.

Then, there was the unnamed military sources in the US, speaking about the kind of attack that did indeed unfold in the early hours of the morning.

Iran has cast this as a limited, carefully calibrated strike. It caused limited damage, but here in Israel and amongst its allies, they're now looking at this strike.

And even though the US and the UK are urging restraint, Israel says it is now looking at its options.

Image source, PA Media

As we've been discussing, President Biden says he will host a meeting of G7 leaders later on Sunday. As a reminder, here's how G7 members have been reacting to the news of the Iranian attack on Israel:

UK PM Rishi Sunak has condemned the "reckless attack" in the "strongest terms". He said the strikes "risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region", adding that Iran has "demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard".

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has said his country "unequivocally condemns Iran's airborne attacks", adding: "We stand with Israel."

French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne has said France "condemns in the strongest terms the attack launched by Iran against Israel".

German ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert said:

As we reported a little earlier, US President Biden has said he will convene a meeting of G7 leaders to "co-ordinate a united diplomatic response" to Iran's attack.

Italy, which currently holds the rotating G7 presidency, has called for a virtual meeting to discuss the attack, according to Reuters citing sources within the prime minister's office.

It is expected to take place in the early afternoon, European time.

Reports in Israel suggested RAF and US warplanes helped Israel intercept incoming drones and missiles.

Biden says he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel had demonstrated "remarkable capacity" in defending itself against Tehran's unprecedented attacks.

We're getting some more comments from Israel Defence Force's spokesman Daniel Hagari, who earlier confirmed that Israel had intercepted 99% of the missiles and drones launched by Iran.

"There was minor damage to infrastructure at Nevatim Air Force base," the IDF spokesperson says in a subsequent briefing he’s given off camera. The base, he adds, is "fully functioning".

"The situation is ongoing and the IDF remains ready to combat it any further threats from Iran," he adds.

Israel's military says that France was among the countries involved in defending against Iran's overnight attack on Israel.

"France has very good technology, jets, radar - and I know they were contributing in patrolling airspace," Israel's chief military spokesman says.

He adds that he doesn't have exact details on whether French jets had shot down any of Iran's missiles.

As we mentioned earlier, the UK, US and Jordan also assisted in the effort.

Will Vernon
Reporting from Washington

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

In a statement, President Joe Biden condemned the attack against Israel "in the strongest possible terms", and has said US aircraft and missile defence destroyers sent to the region had helped Israel repel the Iranian assault.

No US forces were hit in the attack, said Biden, and the Israelis had managed to take down nearly all the incoming drones and missiles.

Earlier in the day, the president cut short a weekend away in Delaware to hold urgent meetings with his National Security team at the White House.

US and Israeli defence and security officials were in close contact as the Iranian attack unfolded.

President Biden said he would now convene G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response.

But this was a large-scale attack on America’s most important ally in the Middle East, and pressure will now grow on the Biden administration over how to respond.

Seven hours after closing its airspace, Israel announced it will be reopening its airspace at 07:30 local time (04:30 BST), the country's airports authority announced.

Jordan has also announced that it will be reopening its airspace after closing it late Saturday night, according to state TV that cited Jordanian aviation authorities.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

It is 09:30 in Israel, and the country is waking up after a long and tense night with an unprecedented attack by Iran. For the first time ever, Iran carried out strikes against Israeli territory.

In the middle of the night, air raid alerts went off, residents were urged to seek shelter while explosions were heard as air defence was activated. Interceptions lit up the dark sky in several places across the country.

The air space was reopened this morning, an indication that the immediate threat is over. But Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said the confrontation with Iran was “not over yet”.

The question now is about a possible Israeli reaction. Israeli authorities have vowed to retaliate to any direct attack from Iran, and the country’s war cabinet met overnight to discuss the situation.

Iran, meanwhile, has warned of a severe response.

Tensions between Israel and Iran have been high for decades, but this is a dangerous moment that could see the two enemies in open confrontation.

Image source, Reuters

Analysts are speculating that this unprecedented attack - from the state of Iran into Israeli territory - will lead to retaliatory action by Israel.

However, according to CNN, citing an administration official, external, President Joe Biden has already told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that America will not participate in any offensive operation against Iran.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official has told the New York Times, external that any response by Israel would be "coordinated with its allies".

As we've been reporting, Biden has said that the US helped Israel take down "nearly all" the barrage of 300 drones and missiles that were launched by Iran.

We've also had news on the talks to try to secure a hostage-prisoner swap and ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas has rejected the latest outline of a plan put forward by mediators, according to Israel's intelligence agency Mossad.

The Israeli agency says in a statement the rejection "proves that [Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya] Sinwar does not want a humanitarian deal and the return of the hostages".

Hamas "is continuing to exploit the tension with Iran, and is striving to unite the sectors and achieve a general escalation in the region", the statement continues.

"Israel will continue to strive to realize the objectives of the war with Hamas with full force, and leave no stone unturned to return the 133 hostages from Gaza forthwith."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has in his first public response since the overnight attacks declared that the country "will win".

“We intercepted. We blocked. Together we will win," the prime minister wrote in a brief post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said he has completed an operational situation assessment with senior officials in Israel's defence establishment.

"Together with the United States and additional partners, we managed to defend the territory of the State of Israel. Very little damage was caused – this is the result of the IDF’s impressive operations," he said.

However, he added: "The campaign is not yet over - we must remain alert and attentive to the instructions published by the IDF and Homefront Command. We must be prepared for every scenario. Having said this, we have thwarted the most significant wave [of the attack], and we did so successfully.”

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

It's just past 08:00 in Israel, the morning after Iran attacked with a barrage of drones and missiles. Here are the main developments for those of you joining us in the UK and Europe.

• Israel says that around 300 drones and missiles were fired by Iran, and that some of the launches also came from Iraq and Yemen
• The attack is a retaliation for a strike that killed an Iranian military commander and subordinates in Damascus earlier this month, that Tehran believes Israel carried out
• Videos showed explosions and fireballs over Jerusalem as Israeli air defences worked to defeat Iran's unprecedented attack

• The IDF said 99% of the drones or missiles were shot down before they entered Israeli airspace

• President Joe Biden said the US also "helped Israel take down nearly all" of them. The UK too deployed RAF jets in the region

• This is the first time Tehran has directly attacked Israel after years of waging proxy wars with its affiliates, including Hezbollah and Hamas
• Iran's mission to the UN cited the UN Charter provision for self defence, under Article 51, and said that it considered the "matter... concluded"
• However it warned it would use greater force should Israel respond in kind

Stay with us as we bring you all the latest developments following an unprecedented evening of events in the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country "will win", in a tweet.

Earlier, he addressed the country, saying the military was "ready for any scenario", after Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles overnnight.

Here's his address to the nation in full:

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel - 99% of which were shot down, the Israeli military has said.

In a televised briefing, Israel Defence Force's spokesman Daniel Hagari also said that some of the overnight launches were from Iraq and Yemen.

James Landale
Reporting from Jerusalem

The first sign an attack was imminent came during the evening when the Israeli army announced its forces were on full alert and dozens of warplanes were in the air.

Authorities said mass gatherings and educational activities were to be restricted. And then an army spokesman confirmed the rumours: Iranian drones had been launched and were bound for Israel.

Across the rooftops of Jerusalem, we heard sirens. Explosions lit up the night as Iron Dome air defence missiles soared into the sky. The IDF reported similar alerts across the country.

It soon became clear armed forces of allies and partners were helping to intercept many of the drones and missiles before they reached Israel.

Inevitably, some got through, causing what Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari – a spokesman for Israel’s army - said was “minor damage” to a military base. There were few reports of casualties, apart from one girl who was critically injured.

Israel’s war cabinet met overnight, with one official saying there would be a “significant response”.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has condemned the attack, calling on Iran to "immediately halt any further attacks, including from its proxy forces".

He added that the US did not "seek conflict" with Iran, but added that it would "not hesitate to act to protect our forces and support the defense of Israel", and that US forces would "remain postured to protect US troops and partners in the region, provide further support for Israel’s defense, and enhance regional stability".

China has now weighed in as well, but has stopped short of condemning the attacks.

In a statement released on Sunday, it said it was "deeply concerned about the current escalation", adding that it called on "relevant parties to remain calm and restrained to avoid further escalation of tensions".

China has close diplomatic and economic ties with Iran - and the US had in the past week been calling on Beijing to urge Tehran not to launch a retaliatory attack on Israel.

However, US officials had privately said they had seen no evidence that China had applied pressure on Iran, according to a report by the Financial Times.