Summary

  • Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian questioned whether Israel was involved in Friday's attack on Iran, saying the weapons used were like "toys our children play with"

  • But in an interview with NBC News, he said if Israel did take "decisive action" against Iran, the response would be "immediate" and "to the maximum"

  • US officials said an Israeli missile hit Iran on Friday - Israel reportedly targeted an air defence radar system near the city of Isfahan, which protects the Natanz nuclear facility

  • It follows weeks of tensions between the rivals, during which Israel attacked an Iranian compound in Syria, and Iran launched an unprecedented assault against Israel

  • The Israeli government has still not officially commented, but Iran's muted response has raised hopes that a full scale Middle Eastern conflict can be avoided

  • Meanwhile, G7 leaders have expressed their strong opposition to Israel carrying out a full-scale military operation in Rafah in southern Gaza

  • US officials have raised concerns with Israel over its planned ground invasion in the city, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering

Live Reporting

Edited by Aoife Walsh

  1. Iran's muted response to presumed Israeli attack signals de-escalation

    Aoife Walsh
    Live editor

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage. You’re joining us as tensions in the Middle East appear to be calming, with Israel and Iran downplaying an apparent Israeli strike on the city of Isfahan.

    Iran says it will give an immediate response if there is a significant attack on it by Israel, but continued to downplay Friday's strike on Isfahan.

    Meanwhile, Israeli planes and tanks pounded various parts of Gaza overnight, with at least nine reportedly killed in Rafah.

    It comes after US officials raised concerns with their Israeli counterparts about Israel's plans for military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently vowed to carry out an offensive in Rafah - where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering.

    The White House said Netanyahu’s representatives had agreed "to take these concerns into account".

    We’ll be bringing you live updates and analysis here on this page, so stay with us.