We're going to pause our coverage of the conflict in the Middle East for now, as Israel continues to consider its response to Iran's attack on its territory on Saturday.

Here's an look back at what happened today:

• Israel's response: Israel's war cabinet is debating how to respond to Iran's attack, in which more than 300 missiles and drones were fired from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Israel's army spokesman said Iran would not get off "scot-free"
• Sanctions: Israel said it launched a diplomatic offensive against Iran, with Tel Aviv's foreign minister urging more than 30 countries to impose sanctions on Iran's missile programme. Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says Washington expects to impose further sanctions on Iran "in the coming days"

• Iran's warning: Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi warned his country would react to the slightest action against its interests with a "severe, extensive and painful response"

• Lebanon strike: The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) says it has killed a Hezbollah commander in an air strike in the southern Lebanese town of Ain Baal. Hezbollah confirms the death of Ismail Yousef Baz, without providing further details of his rank or how he was killed
• Gaza: Israeli forces have begun a military operation in Beit Hanoun, a town in the north east of the strip. The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 33,843 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since October.

You can read a report from our BBC Persian colleagues here on the mood in Iran days after its attack on Israel

And international editor Jeremy Bowen's analysis on how Iran's attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline is here.

Thanks for joining us.

Image source, Reuters

More than 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to a new report by UN Women, external.

The UN agency says that, as the war reached its six-month mark, "it continues to be a war on women".

Of the 10,000 women killed, the aid agency says, 6,000 women have left an estimated 19,000 orphan children behind.

Those who have survived have been displaced, widowed and face starvation, the report says, adding that more than one million women and girls in Gaza have "almost no food, no access to safe water, latrines, washrooms, or sanitary pads, with disease growing amidst inhumane living conditions".

As we reported earlier today, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said more than 33,843 Palestinians have been killed since October.

In the UK, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he has still not spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, despite saying yesterday that he would talk to him "shortly".

"We are still discussing scheduling, working out with diaries," she said.

"The prime minister has regularly spoken with Netanyahu. It does take time to schedule these with diaries but there was a suggestion earlier this morning that that meant that the UK's view was not being relayed or we hadn't had an opportunity to do that."

She added: "That is obviously incorrect. Our position is very clear, it's the same as the US and we obviously have contact with the Israeli government through many different channels."

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

The Israel Gaza war, now in its 193rd day, is a crisis with wide-ranging repercussions across this whole region.

Israel says it has killed a senior commander with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia. There was also an exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters - Israel says they launched two attack drones into northern Israel, injuring lightly three Israelis.

This development on the Lebanon front comes as Israel's' foreign minister launched a diplomatic offensive today, sending messages to more than 30 countries urging them to impose more sanctions against Iran and in particular, on Iran's missile programme.

He also called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be designated as a terrorist organisation

Iran as well has been on the phone, talking to foreign ministers in the region and beyond, and also speaking to the UN secretary general, underlining that Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel was in legitimate self defence.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) says it has killed a Hezbollah commander in an air strike in the southern Lebanese town of Ain Baal.

A statement says Ismail Youssef Baaz oversaw the Lebanese Shia armed group's “coastal sector”.

“As part of his position, [Baaz] was involved in advancing and planning rocket and anti-tank missile launches toward Israel from the coastal area in Lebanon,” it adds.

Hezbollah confirmed his death, without providing further details of his rank or how he was killed.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also reported that one person was killed and two others were injured in an Israeli strike in Ain Baal on Tuesday.

Hezbollah is funded, trained and armed by Iran and is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, US and other countries.

Its fighters have exchanged fire with Israeli forces almost every day along the border since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October. The clashes have raised fears of a wider regional conflict.

On Monday, Israeli military officials said four soldiers were wounded by an explosion as they operated hundreds of metres inside Lebanese territory. Hezbollah said its fighters had detonated explosive devices in the area.

Jiyar Gol and Behrang Tajdin
BBC Persian

Tehran is tense, three days after Iran's unprecedented direct attack on Israel.

Worried about war and its impact on Iran's already flailing economy, a significant proportion of Iranians oppose what they see as the reckless adventurism of the country's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which fired more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday.

In a letter sent to BBC Persian, a long list of Iranian activists both inside the country and abroad criticised the IRGC's actions and saying "No to warmongering!"

Many Iranians also see the Iran-Israel confrontation now emerging from the shadows as being orchestrated by the Iranian government rather than reflective of the will of the Iranian people.

Read more here.

Image source, EPA

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says Washington expects to hit Iran with new sanctions "in the coming days" following its unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend.

Yellen says Iran's oil exports "remain in focus as a possible area" they could address, adding that Iran's actions threaten stability in the Middle East.

"From this weekend's attack to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Iran's actions threaten the region's stability and could cause economic spillovers," she warned.

Speaking from Washington, Yellen said the Treasury would use its sanctions authority and work with allies to "continue disrupting the Iranian regime's malign and destabilising activity".

Her remarks follow Israel's demand for sanctions on Iran's missile project.

According to the Treasury Department, the US is already using financial sanctions to isolate Iran and disrupt its ability to fund proxy groups and support Russia's war in Ukraine.

Portugal has summoned the Iranian ambassador, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Lisbon says the action was to reiterate Portugal's condemnation of Tehran's attack on Israel on Saturday and to demand the release of a Portuguese-flagged container ship, MSC Aries, seized by Iran on 13 April.

"The foreign ministry will await the results of this formal measure and evaluate any additional steps," the statement added.

Seized Israeli-linked vessel located in Iranian waterspublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 16 April

15:34 BST 16 April

Image source, Planet Labs

An Israeli-linked vessel seized by Iran hours before it launched its drone and missile attacks on Saturday has been spotted in Iranian waters more than 120 miles (195km) away from its last reported position.

The MSC Aries, a container ship, was visible on vessel-tracking websites more than three days ago sailing about 50 miles (80km) off the coast of the UAE en route to India.

It was next seen on Sunday near two Iranian islands in the Strait of Hormuz, in satellite imagery shared by maritime traffic site Tankertrackers.com, external. BBC Verify has looked at the images and believes they match the length and features of MSC Aries.

The 25 crew members are believed to still be on board, the majority of them Indian. The Indian government says it has contacted Iran to voice its concern over their situation.

Thirteen non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have signed a letter saying that escalating tensions in the Middle East are "unprecedented" and "risk threatening the lives of millions of civilians".

The group, which includes the International Rescue Committee, Save The Children and Norwegian Refugee Council, has called for more political and diplomatic action to “prevent increased civilian harm” and "avoid the security situation spiralling out of control".

"All involved parties and those with influence over them need to immediately work towards de-escalation," they said.

The group has also called for an "immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza to prevent further human suffering".

Iran's attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinepublished at 15:15 British Summer Time 16 April

15:15 BST 16 April

Jeremy Bowen
International editor

It wasn't many days ago that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was under enormous pressure.

But Iran's first-ever direct attack on Israel offered the prime minister a lifeline.

In a remarkable feat of military co-operation, the US and other Western allies helped Israel shoot down more than 300 drones and missiles launched by Iran. No Arab leader has been a sterner critic of Israel's war in Gaza than King Abdullah of Jordan. But Jordan's air force joined the operation, downing projectiles heading for Israel.

Calls for putting conditions on military aid to Israel were replaced by resounding expressions of solidarity.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has been presented with new political opportunities. Gaza is out of the headlines, for a day or two at least.

But pressure on the prime minister has changed. It has not gone. Israel's next moves might redouble it.

• Read more about how international pressure on Netanyahu has shifted

Image source, Getty Images

Israel's military spokesman says that Iran will not get off "scot-free" after its missile and drone strikes over the weekend.

"We cannot stand still from this kind of aggression, Iran will not get (off) scot-free with this aggression" Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at Julis military base in southern Israel.

"We will respond the way that we will choose at the time that we will choose," he said.

Hagari stood next to what he said were the remains of one of the intercepted missiles from Iran's attack, which he said was retrieved from the Dead Sea.

On Saturday, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel, with most being downed by Israel and its allies.

Image source, Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that further escalation in the Middle East could have "catastrophic consequences", during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi.

In a readout of the call, the Kremlin said Putin expressed hope that all sides would show "reasonable restraint" and "prevent a new round of confrontation fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region".

The Kremlin added that Iran had requested the call.

The two countries are close allies. Separately, Russia is believed to be co-operating with Iran to improve its modern air defence systems and fighter jets in return for the military support Tehran has given Moscow in its war with Ukraine.

Israel should launch "the mother of all cyber-attacks" and take out Iran's nuclear weapons programme, former US national security adviser John Bolton says.

He says one way Israel could deter Iran would be to make it "suffer a cost that would be so disproportionate that they don't even think of attacking again".

"Calling on Israel not to respond is reprehensible," he tells the BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, adding that the US and UK would do the same if they faced a similar threat.

"The idea of saying 'take the win' simply because the missiles and drones missed their target is like saying 'hey you're still alive, what's the problem'...the problem is Israel's under attack," Bolton says.

"The next time Israel faces ballistic missiles from Iran, God forbid they may have a nuclear warhead on them."

Heated argument inside Israeli war cabinet over Iranpublished at 13:49 British Summer Time 16 April

13:49 BST 16 April

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent, in Jerusalem

Iran’s unprecedented strike was a powerful jolt which split Israeli leaders, and the public, over what to do next.

The latest poll from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem says 52% of Israelis believe their country should hold fire. The rest disagree.

An even bigger 74% say don’t attack if it undermines Israel’s alliance with regional and world powers.

There’s also heated argument inside the war cabinet. They agree - Israel must hit back in some way. Former generals are said to be pushing for immediate retaliation. Others want to first strengthen Israel’s support from key capitals. And targets range too - from a direct strike on Iran, or on its proxies somewhere in the region.

Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to be deploying tactics of his own. Israeli media say he’s refusing to take telephone calls from world leaders.

Of course he’s very busy. But he knows all too well what they’ll say - “don’t do it."

It also sends a signal to his right-wing ministers, including one who urged him to “go berserk,” that he’s standing up to world pressure - for now.

Image source, EPA

Jordan's foreign minister says the international community should stop Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu from "stealing" attention away from the war in Gaza by escalating its confrontation with Iran.

Ayman Safadi says Iran was responding to the attack against its consulate and had announced it "did not want to escalate further".

"We are against escalating. Netanyahu wants to draw attention away from Gaza and focus on his confrontation with Iran," Safadi told reporters at a press conference in Berlin.

Netanyahu’s office has said the international community "must continue to stand united in resisting this Iranian aggression, which threatens world peace".

As a reminder, Jordan helped shoot down Iran's attack on Israel over the weekend - but its leaders have also previously criticised Israel's war in Gaza.

On helping thwart Iran's attack, Safadi earlier said: "If the danger had come from Israel, Jordan would have taken the same measures."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is calling on the European Union to impose fresh sanctions on Iranian drone technology.

She says she campaigned last year - together with France and other EU countries - for the drone sanctions regime to be extended.

Meanwhile, Baerbock is heading to Israel today for talks on calming tensions in the region.

She told reporters it was important for Germany "in these fragile times that we all work together to contribute to de-escalation" in the Middle East.

After Iran's attack on Saturday night, she said "Israel can protect itself", and condemned Iran's "aggressive behaviour". She said the regime wanted to "destabilise an entire region".

Image source, EPA

The UK is working with allies to "de-escalate the situation" following Iran's attack on Israel at the weekend, a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says.

The PM has not yet been able to speak to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, he says, as Netanhayu was "very busy with war cabinet and engagements".

But the UK's foreign and defence secretaries have been speaking to their counterparts, he said.

Sunak told MPs on Monday that he would offer support to Israel, adding "all sides must show restraint".

His spokesman denied that Israel was refusing to speak to Western allies, saying Sunak would speak to him "as soon as possible".

Theo Leggett
International Business correspondent

EasyJet has confirmed that it has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until 27 October. The decision followed the air raids on Israel by Iran at the weekend.

The airline had only recently restarted services to the region, after initially suspending them following the Hamas attacks in October.

It had been operating about a third of its normal schedule, with flights operating from Luton on a less than daily basis.

EasyJet said it had decided to cancel services due to the “continued evolving situation” in Israel. It added that customers with bookings would be offered a full refund.

The Israeli government says it's launched a diplomatic offensive against Iran, as it considers a response to Tehran's attack. Here's a recap of the key lines today:

• Israel has still not said how it plans to respond to Iran's attack, but its military chief vowed it would not go unanswered

• Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz says he has written to more than 30 countries calling for sanctions against Iran's missile programme

• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to speak to Netanyahu later today to discuss how to prevent "further escalation"

• Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said his country would react to the slightest action against its interests with a "severe, extensive and painful response"
• The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 33,843 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since October
• Israeli forces began a military operation in the town of Beit Hanoun, in thenorth east of the Gaza Strip, at dawn today

Stay with us for more.