This day so far
It is currently 7pm in Gaza, 8pm in Tel Aviv, and 8.30pm in Tehran.
Here is a summary of what has happened so far:
the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said that drones reportedly fired by Israel at the Iranian city of Isfahan did not cause “any damage or casualties”, as reported by Iranian media.
The US Congress is pushing forward a $95m national security package that would provide additional aid to Israel following Israel’s reported airstrike in Iran. The bill overcame a massive hurdle with the support of Democrats in the House of Representatives. If approved this weekend, it will be sent to the Senate.
A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry denounced the US’s veto of a Palestinian request to the UN security council, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state. Iranian diplomat Nasser Kanani called the veto “irresponsible” and “unconstructive”.
Thank you for reading the latest updates on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Updated
Drones reportedly fired by Israel at the city of Isfahan in Iran caused no damage or casualties, said the Iranian foreign minister, Reuters reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian gave remarks on the drone attack while speaking with envoys of Muslim nations in New York.
“The Zionist regime’s media supporters, in a desperate effort, tried to make victory out of their defeat, while the downed mini-drones have not caused any damage or casualties,” Amirabdollahian said, according to Iranian media.
Here is an analysis of what Israel’s latest attack on Iran means for the political survival of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, from the Guardian’s Bethan McKernan.
In the aftermath of Iran’s unprecedented salvo of missiles and drones fired directly at Israel at the weekend, Benny Gantz, a centrist member of the Israeli war cabinet, said that the country would respond “in the place, time and manner it chooses”.
On Friday morning, that turned out to be explosions in the central Iranian city of Isfahan. Although no Israeli official has claimed responsibility for what seem to have been drone strikes on a military installation, Tehran, which retaliated after an airstrike on its consulate in Damascus, has downplayed the incident. The limited response may have for now staved off the threat of regional war.
Unclaimed drone attacks on a military site in Isfahan are unlikely to satisfy supporters or critics of Israel’s longtime leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, or restore the level of deterrence Israel enjoyed in the region before the Hamas attack of 7 October.
“Netanyahu, who has been threatening to attack Iran for 20 years, has realised a dream, or at least part thereof. The question is what about us, the people,” defence analyst and columnist for the leftwing Israeli daily Haaretz, Amos Harel, wrote on Friday.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu ally and the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, reacted with just one word – “Feeble!” – in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The Israeli prime minister may have achieved several short-term wins here. The muted Iranian reaction has soothed an anxious Israeli public before the week-long Passover holiday. Israel has also struck while it still has international diplomatic support for such an action, before the sense of urgency wanes and the world’s focus returns to the war in Gaza and its deepening famine …
Read the full article here.
Updated
A spokesperson for the foreign affairs ministry of Iran condemned the US’s veto to block full United Nations membership for Palestine, calling the decision “irresponsible”, AFP reported.
The US vetoed the Palestinian request to the UN security council, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
The US was the only country to oppose the request on the 15-member security council. Twelve nations were in favor. The UK and Switzerland abstained.
“Washington’s action exposed the fraudulent nature of US foreign policy and its isolated position,” Iranian diplomat Nasser Kanani said.
Kanani added that Washington’s veto was “irresponsible” and “unconstructive”.
Updated
The US Congress is pushing forward a $95bn national security package that would provide additional aid to Israel following Israel’s airstrike in Iran.
The bill was moved forward in the House of Representatives following a critical procedural vote, the Associated Press reported. The legislation would also provide humanitarian support to Taiwan and Ukraine.
Aid for the international conflict between Russia and Ukraine has received faltering support from far-right conservatives, threatening the bill’s passage.
With the latest procedural obstacle cleared, the bill could be approved by the House this weekend and then sent to the Senate.
Updated
Afternoon summary
It has gone 5pm in Gaza, 6pm in Tel Aviv and 6.30pm in Tehran. Here is a summary of the day’s events so far:
Speaking publicly at the G7 meeting in Capri, the US secretary of state,
Antony Blinken, declined to elaborate further on the reported Israeli attack on Iran, except to say his country had not been involved. “I’m not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,” Blinken said.Blinken said while the Gy was “committed” to Israel’s security, “we’re also committed to de-escalating”. “What the G7 is focused on, and it’s reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflict,” he said. “You saw Israel on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack, but our focus has been on, of course, making sure that Israel can effectively defend itself, but also de-escalating tensions and avoiding conflict. That remains our focus.”
At a separate news conference moments before Blinken, Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said the US was “informed at the last minute” but did not elaborate.
Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan, home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites. In a post on X, the agency said it continues to monitor the situation very closely and calls for extreme restraint from all sides, stressing that “nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”.
French police arrested a man who had threatened to blow himself up at Iran’s consulate in Paris on Friday afternoon. A police source told Reuters that the man was seen at about 11am (9am GMT) entering the consulate, carrying what appeared to be a grenade and explosive vest. The man exited the consulate and was not actually carrying explosives, the source said.
Four Israeli extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have been today sanctioned by the EU along with two entities over alleged “serious human rights abuses against Palestinians”.
The US also added to its settler-related sanctions today by imposing sanctions on two entities that the US said helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for two violent extremists in the West Bank already targeted with US sanctions.
The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, on Friday spoke by phone to his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, at Iran’s request to discuss regional developments, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters. The source did not provide further details.
German airline group Lufthansa has suspended flights to Israel and Iraq until early Saturday. Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines also decided as a “precautionary measure” to suspend flights to Jordan’s capital Amman, as well as Erbil and Tel Aviv on Friday “to comprehensively reassess the security situation”. Both Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines had already suspended their flights to and from Tehran up until the end of the month.
Polish national airline LOT canceled flights on Friday to Tel Aviv and Beirut due to the unstable situation in the region, a spokesperson was quoted as saying by state news agency PAP.
Updated
Here’s a look at the area targeted last night in what the US has confirmed as an Israeli military operation in Iran:
EU imposes sanctions on four Israeli settlers
Four Israeli extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have been today sanctioned by the EU along with two entities over alleged “serious human rights abuses against Palestinians”.
The individuals on the list are: Neria Ben Pazi, 31. According to the EU’s official journal, the reason for the listing was that Ben Pazi “established four of the most violent outposts in the West Bank in 2019”. He was “one of the main perpetrators of the forced displacement of a Bedouin community of Wadi Seeq near Ramalah. His actions “have been likened to torture”, the official journal said, including an attack on 12 October last year in which Palestinians were “severely beaten, handcuffed and photographed in their underwear” as well as “urinated on”.
Another Israeli, Yinon Levi, 32, is accused of “multiple violent acts” including storming and damaging houses of Palestinian families and setting dogs on farmers.
Also on the list is Meir Mordechai Ettinger, 33, “considered a leading figure of the Hilltop Youth, a radical youth group consisting of members known for violent acts against Palestinians and their villages in the West Bank.
According to the official journal he was involved in a deadly arson attack in 2015, that killed two parents and their 18-month-old baby, for which he was detained without charge that same year.
Another member of the group, Names as Elisha Yered, born in 2001, was reported to engage in settler violence through so-called “price tag attacks” including “physical and psychosocial harassment, beatings, murder and demolition of property, against Palestinians is of a systematic nature”.
The journal says he was “part of a group of armed settlers” involved in an attack last year near Ramallah which led to the death of the 19-year-old Palestinian Qusai Jammal Mi’tan and wounded several other Palestinians”.
One of the two entities named is Lehava, which the EU’s official journal describes as a “radical right-wing Jewist supremacist group” which “uses violence and incites violence against Palestinians, Christians and Messianic Jews”. According to the journal, Lehava “organises violent protests against Jewish Muslim weddings and the LGBQTi community”.
The other entity is named as Hilltop Youth, described by the journal as “a radical group consisting of members known for violent acts against Palestinians and their villages in the West Bank”.
The judgment can be read here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202401172
Updated
US sanctions on entities that raised funds for West Bank settlers
The US treasury department announced today that the US is imposing sanctions on Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich – two entities that the US said helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for two violent extremists in the West Bank already targeted with US sanctions.
Mount Hebron Fund launched an online fundraising campaign that raised $140,000 for settler Yinon Levi after he was sanctioned in February for leading a group of settlers that assaulted Palestinian and Bedouin civilians, burned their fields and destroyed their property, the Treasury said.
Shlom Asiraich raised $31,000 for David Chai Chasdai, who the US said had initiated and led a riot that included setting vehicles and buildings on fire and causing damage to property in Huwara, resulting in the death of a Palestinian civilian.
“Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich generated tens of thousands of dollars for extremists responsible for destroying property, assaulting civilians, and violence against Palestinians,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “Such acts by these organizations undermine the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank. We will continue to use our tools to hold those responsible accountable.”
The US has previously sanctioned five settlers and two unauthorized outposts in the West Bank.
At least 34,012 Palestinians have been killed and 76,833 others have been injured by Israel’s military offensive since the 7 October, Gaza’s health ministry said on Friday.
The Hamas-run health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
Man arrested in Paris after police cordon off Iranian consulate due to reported bomb threat
French police arrested a man who had threatened to blow himself up at Iran’s consulate in Paris, police said, Reuters reported.
A police source had told Reuters the man was seen at about 11 am (0900 GMT) entering the consulate, carrying what appeared to be a grenade and explosive vest.
The man exited the consulate and was not actually carrying explosives, a police source said.
You can follow more updates from Lili Bayer in the Europe live blog here:
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan on Friday spoke by phone to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian at Iran’s request to discuss regional developments, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters.
The source did not provide further details.
Blinken says conversations on Rafah at senior levels with Israel continue
Further to the comments by Blinken already reported on the blog, there are some more lines from Reuters on what the US secretary of state said on the topic of Gaza.
At a press conference on Friday after a gathering of G7 foreign ministers on the southern Italian island of Capri, Blinken told reporters “we cannot support a major military operation in Rafah”. He said conversations on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, continue at senior levels with Israel.
Blinken said he believed that “Israel’s objectives can be achieved” without a Rafah offensive. He added: “We are committed to achieving a Palestinian state with necessary guarantees for Israel.”
Updated
Qatar expressed regret on Friday over the failure of the UN security council to adopt a draft resolution recognising a Palestinian state through full membership of the UN (see 08:14 BST), according to Reuters.
The United Arab Emirates said on Friday that granting Palestinians full membership in the UNwould be “an important step to boost peace efforts in the region”, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
German airline group Lufthansa has suspended flights to Israel and Iraq until early Saturday.
Services by airlines of the group to Tel Aviv in Israel and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan were suspended until 5am GMT due to the “current situation”, a spokesperson told AFP.
Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines also decided as a “precautionary measure” to suspend flights to Jordan’s capital Amman, as well as Erbil and Tel Aviv on Friday “to comprehensively reassess the security situation”.
“Austrian Airlines continuously monitors and assesses the security situation in the Middle East and is in close contact with the authorities,” Austrian Airlines said in a statement sent to AFP.
Both Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines had already suspended their flights to and from Tehran up until the end of the month.
Polish national airline LOT canceled flights on Friday to Tel Aviv and Beirut due to the unstable situation in the region, a spokesperson was quoted as saying by state news agency PAP.
“Today’s flight 151/152 to Israel from Warsaw and to Beirut 143/144 have been cancelled,” Krzysztof Moczulski told PAP, according to a Reuters report. Moczulski said decisions about future flights would be made on an ongoing basis.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken repeatedly declined to confirm a reported Israeli attack on Iran on Friday, saying Washington has not been involved in any offensive operations and it was committed to de-escalating tensions in the region, reports Reuters.
“I’m not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,” Blinken said at a news conference capping a gathering of G7 foreign ministers on the southern Italian island of Capri.
According to Reuters reporters, the top US diplomat kept repeating the same response, almost verbatim, when he was asked about the issue several times at the news conference.
At a separate news conference moments before Blinken, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said the US was “informed at the last minute” but did not elaborate (see 11:58 BST).
Explosions echoed over the Iranian city of Isfahan in the early hours of Friday in what sources described as an Israeli attack, say Reuters, but Tehran played down the incident and indicated it had no plans for retaliation – a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.
Israel said nothing about the incident. It had said for days it was planning to retaliate against Iran for Saturday’s strikes, the first direct attack on Israel by Iran in decades of shadow war waged by proxies which has escalated throughout the Middle East.
United Nations secretary general António Guterres said on Friday that “it is high time to stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
“The secretary general condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond,” Stéphane Dujarric said, accroding to Reuters.
Iran has been trying to reassure people that the country did not face a major threat after airstrikes were carried out in the Isfahan province on Friday.
A news anchor said everything was “back to normal” in a report aired on Press TV, the Iranian state broadcaster’s English-language outlet.
In another clip, said to be filmed in Isfahan and published by Iranian media, an unidentified person is heard saying there had been no damage to the area.
Officials in Washington said Israeli forces were carrying out military operations against Iran but did not describe the character or scale of those operations. Israel and Iran are yet to confirm the source of the strikes.
Israeli 'aggression' on Iran is an escalation against the region, Hamas official says
Israel’s “aggression” on Iran is an escalation against the region, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Friday.
“We call for expanding the scale of the engagement against the [Israeli] occupation in response to the war of genocide in Gaza and the escalation in the region,” said Abu Zuhri.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, declined to comment on whether the US had any warning of Israel’s plans to strike Iran this morning, but said: “The United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.”
Blinken restated the G7’s commitment to de-escalating tensions in the region.
“What the G7 is focused on, and it’s reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflict,” he said. “You saw Israel on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack, but our focus has been on, of course, making sure that Israel can effectively defend itself, but also de-escalating tensions and avoiding conflict. That remains our focus.”
Updated
Blinken: Hamas standing in the way of a Gaza ceasefire
The G7 meeting of foreign ministers had discussed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, said Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, but Hamas “continues to move the goalposts”.
“The only thing standing between the Gazan people and a ceasefire is Hamas,” Blinken said. “It has rejected generous proposals from Israel. It seems more interested in a regional conflict than it is in a ceasefire that would immediately improve the lives of the Palestinian people. It continues to move the goalposts.”
The G7 also urges “the rapid implementation of Israel’s humanitarian assistance commitments” in Gaza, Blinken said.
“We have seen important steps over the last couple of weeks with more crossings opening, more aid getting in, more aid getting around,” Blinken said. “But we need to see sustained results and we need to see, in particular, distribution throughout Gaza.”
Updated
Blinken: G7 is 'committed to de-escalating'
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, addressed the press today at the conclusion of the G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Capri, Italy.
On behalf of the G7, he condemned Iran’s cruise missile and drone attack on Israel that prompted an airstrike today on Isfahan, that the US says it has confirmed was carried out by Israel. It hasn not yet been confirmed by Israel or Iran.
“We’re committed to Israel’s security,” Blinken said. “We’re also committed to de-escalating.”
He noted that despite the tensions with Israel and Iran, “we remain intensely focused on Gaza”.
Updated
Below is some footage of the airstrikes in Iran’s Isfahan province. Although the US said on Friday that strikes were carried out by Israel, it has not yet been confirmed by Israel or Iran:
Updated
Here are a few images on the newswires from Italy where G7 foreign ministers met today:
Updated
Israel gave US last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says
The US told the G7 foreign ministers on Friday that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani said the US provided the information at a Friday morning session that was changed at the last minute to address the suspected attack.
Tajani said the US informed the G7 ministers that it had been “informed at the last minute” by Israel about the drones. “But there was no sharing of the attack by the US. It was a mere information.”
He said Italians living in Iran were all accounted for and “without problems.”
Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said on Friday that Israeli-Iranian retaliations must end, warning against the danger of regional escalation.
According to Reuters, the United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry on Friday also expressed concern about regional tensions. In a statement, the ministry called for “utmost restraint” to avoid serious repercussions.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz called for de-escalation after a strike on the Iranian city of Isfahan and said Berlin would work with its partners in this direction, reports the Reuters news agency
“De-escalation remains the order of the day in the near future. And we will also talk about this with all our friends and allies, and work together with them in this direction,” Scholz told reporters on Friday.
The Jerusalem Post reports its sources have confirmed that Iranian air force assets in Isfahan “almost right next door to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear site in the same area” were hit during blasts that the US attributed to Israel.
“The message was unmistakable, ‘we chose not to hit your nuclear sites this time, but we could have done worse right here,’ sources told the Post.”
Foreign ministers from the G7 major powers said they would continue to work to prevent the conflict between Israel and Iran escalating, after reports of an Israeli attack on Iran, reports Reuters.
“In light of reports of strikes on 19 April, we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation. The G7 will continue to work to this end,” said a statement issued by the ministers on Friday at the end of a three-day summit on the island of Capri.
The UK’s former ambassador to Lebanon, Tom Fletcher, has told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that diplomats across the region, as well as the US and UK, “will all be looking to find ways to play it down now” after US officials said that Israel had carried out airstrikes against Iran.
“We don’t know how much of an escalation this is for now. Clearly Iran is starting to signal that it is not necessarily a major escalation. They are playing it down. And of course Israel could have chosen to do something more dramatic,” he said.
Fletcher also told the BBC that Israel is “clearly saying” to Iran that it can “dial it up”. “The danger in all of this of course is that there is risk of miscalculation,” he added.
Israel's far-right national security minister criticised for online post about Israel and Iran
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir came under severe criticism for harming Israel’s strategy against Iran after he suggested Israel was behind Friday’s attack on Iran, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Iran’s state media reported that there were explosions in the central province of Isfahan, while a section of US media quoting US officials reported Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran.
However, the source of the blasts has not yet been confirmed. An Iranian official, on condition of anonymity, earlier told Reuters: “The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack.”
When contacted by AFP, neither the Israeli military nor the government offered comments on the blasts.
Ben Gvir, a member of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, on Friday wrote a one word post on X that reportedly means “feeble” in Hebrew slang, suggesting that Israel was behind the blasts but its action was weak, reports AFP.
His comment swiftly sparked reactions on social media and television channels.
“Never before a minister has done such a heavy damage to the country’s security, its image, and its international status,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X. “In an unforgivable tweet of one word, Ben Gvir managed to sneer and shame Israel from Tehran to Washington.”
מעולם לא עשה שר בקבינט הבטחוני נזק כל כך כבד לבטחון המדינה, לתדמיתה ולמעמדה הבינלאומי. בציוץ בלתי נסלח של מילה אחת הצליח בן גביר להגחיך ולבייש את ישראל מטהראן ועד וושינגטון.
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) April 19, 2024
Shaiel Ben-Ephraim, an academic and host of a podcast on geopolitics, said that Ben Gvir “confirms the Israeli operation and ridicules it”.
“By doing so he undermines Israel’s power of deterrence. An absolute disgrace for a minister,” he wrote on X.
However, Tally Gotliv, lawmaker from Netanyahu’s Likud party cheered the developments in Iran.
“A morning of pride,” she wrote on X. “Israel is a strong and powerful country,” added Gotliv, who is also a member of Israeli parliament’s foreign affairs and security committee.
Updated
Islamic State group fighters on Thursday killed 28 Syrian soldiers and affiliated pro-government forces in two attacks on government-held areas of the war-torn country, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports citing a war monitor.
In one attack, “22 regular army soldiers and fighters from pro-government forces were killed when IS jihadists opened fire on a military bus in eastern Homs province”, said the Syrian Observatory for Human rights.
Most of those killed were members of the al-Quds Brigade, a group comprising Palestinian fighters that has received support from Damascus ally Moscow in recent years, according to the Britain-based monitor.
Separately, “six Syrian soldiers died in another IS attack against a base near Albu Kamal,” in eastern Syria, the monitor reported.
State media has yet to report on the attacks, say AFP.
The UK’s prime minister, giving a press conference in London, has been asked about Israel’s reported attack on Iran. Rishi Sunak said:
It is a developing situation and it wouldn’t be right for me to speculate until the facts become clearer, and we’re working to confirm the details together with allies.
We have condemned Iran’s reckless and dangerous barrage of missiles against Israel on Saturday, and Israel absolutely has the right to self-defence.
But as I said to prime minister Netanyahu when I spoke to him last week, and more generally, significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest. What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region.”
Egypt says it is deeply concerned about the continued mutual escalation between Israel and Iran, report Reuters.
In a statement issued on Friday, Egypt warned of the consequences of expanding conflict and instability in the region.
The reported Israeli drone strike on Isfahan may signal that this widening conflict has become more dynamic, writes Peter Beaumont.
In an analysis piece for the Guardian, Beaumont says that Iran and Israel are “playing with fire as old rules of confrontation are torn up”.
You can read the full analysis here:
China said on Friday that it will “continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate” tensions in the Middle East, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“China opposes any actions that further escalate tensions and will continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate the situation,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
China is a close partner of Iran, its largest trade partner, and a top buyer of its sanctioned oil.
The US has repeatedly made public appeals for China to use its influence over Tehran to manage tensions in the region.
Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi held talks with his Iranian counterpart this week, with state media reporting that Tehran had said it was “willing to exercise restraint” after its first-ever attack on Israel’s territory.
EU Commission president calls on Israel and Iran to refrain from escalation
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called on Iran, Israel and their allies to refrain from escalation in the Middle East, after sources said Israel carried out an attack on Iranian soil on Friday, reports Reuters.
“It is absolutely necessary that the region remains stable and that all sides restrain from further action,” von der Leyen said alongside Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo in Lappeenranta, Finland, about 25 km (15 miles) from the Russian border.
Updated
Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defence unit in its south and causing material damage, Syria’s state-run Sana news agency quoted a military statement as saying on Friday.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the warplanes were seen around the time loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian airbase and nuclear site early on Friday.
That area of Syria is directly west of Isfahan, about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, and east of Israel.
Iran fired air defence batteries early on Friday and some flights were diverted or grounded after reports of explosions near a major airbase and nuclear site where drones were spotted, say AP.
Updated
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani called on Friday for an “absolute de-escalation” following reports that Israel carried out a strike on Iran, saying G7 counterparts would discuss it at talks in Capri, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We invite everyone to be cautious to avoid an escalation,” he told RAI news from the Italian island, where Rome is hosting a meeting between foreign ministers of the G7 nations.
The G7, which includes the UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and Canada, wants an “absolute de-escalation” in the Middle East, he said.
“We are monitoring the situation closely. We will address the situation with the foreign ministers at the G7 session this morning in Italy,” Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly said on X.
G7 ministers including US secretary of state Antony Blinken have been on Capri since Wednesday and are due to wrap up on Friday lunchtime.
Friday’s sessions were focused on rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, but Tajani confirmed the Iran situation would be “discussed”.
Oman, which has acted as a mediator in the Middle East, condemned on Friday the Israeli attack on Iranian soil, as well as “the repeated Israeli military attacks in the region”, said a foreign ministry statement, according to Reuters.
US vetoes Palestinian request for full UN membership
The US has vetoed a Palestinian request to the United Nations security council for full UN membership, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote in the 15-member security council was 12 in favor, the US opposed and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland.
US officials had been hoping Washington could avoid use of its veto if other states objected to a draft resolution before the council recommending the “State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations”.
Before the vote, diplomats said the US mission had been trying to convince one or two other council members to abstain, to mitigate Washington’s isolation on the issue, but US officials said they were resigned to having to wield the US veto once more in support of Israel.
Washington’s position is that the emergence of a Palestinian state had to be the outcome of negotiations on all aspects of a Middle East peace settlement.
You can read the full piece by Julian Borger here:
Updated
G7 foreign ministers are meeting to discuss their response to last night’s attack by Israel on Iran, according to a senior British minister.
Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, told Sky News on Friday that the UK foreign secretary David Cameron was discussing the attack with his counterparts, as Britain added its voice to those calling for tensions to be dialled down.
“We accept that Israel has the absolute right to defend itself, and indeed, we were working with Israel and other allies to head off that attack last weekend that Iran made upon Israel,” he said.
“At the same time, though, we do think that de-escalation is absolutely key now. And our message to all in the region, including Israel, is that de-escalation is really important.”
“The foreign secretary currently is speaking with his G7 counterparts, so they will be very much focused on exactly that.”
Kiran Stacey is a political correspondent for the Guardian.
Updated
No plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, senior Iranian official says
Iran has no plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday, hours after sources said Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil.
“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” the Iranian official said on condition of anonymity.
According to Reuters, an Iranian analyst also told state TV on Friday that mini drones shot down by air defences in Isfahan were flown by “infiltrators from inside Iran”.
Meanwhile, the Israeli hard right minister Itamar Ben Gvir posted a one word post on X on Friday that roughly translates to “feeble”.
Updated
Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and north Africa programme at Chatham House said of the reported strike on Isfahan:
Israel’s counter-strike on Iran is similarly targeted on a military site and calibrated to avoid damage and further Iranian aggression.
As long as Iran continues to deny the attack and deflect attention from it and no further hits are seen, there is space for both sides to climb down the escalation ladder for now.”
She said the strike’s timing, on the birthday of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, was clearly deliberate and symbolic by Israel.
Daniel Hurst is Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent.
The Australian government has urged Iran and Israel to “exercise restraint and step back to avoid a further spiral of violence”.
In response for a request for comment on Israel’s reported retaliatory military actions against Iran, the acting foreign minister, Katy Gallagher, said:
Australia remains extremely concerned about the potential for miscalculation and further escalation of conflict in the region.
This is in no one’s interests. We urge all parties to exercise restraint and step back to avoid a further spiral of violence.
Australia will continue working with partners to try to reduce tensions and prevent further regional spillover.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had earlier updated its travel advice for Australians in the region, warning of that the security situation could deteriorate quickly and flights could be cancelled.
Iran’s nuclear facilities are “secure”, officials have said, after Israel carried out airstrikes on the Iran province on Friday, according to US officials.
This explainer by Peter Beaumont lays out what is in Isfahan, the city that is home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear programme.
You can read it here:
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It’s 9:40am in Tehran and 9:10am in Tel Aviv. We’re about to hand over to London but first, a summary of what we know so far:
US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out airstrikes against Iran as explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz.
Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan, home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites. In a post on X, the agency said it continues to monitor the situation very closely and calls for extreme restraint from all sides, stressing that “nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported “three explosions” were heard near the Shekari army airbase in the north-west of Isfahan province, while Iran’s space agency spokesperson Hossein Dalirian said “several” drones had been “successfully shot down”.
Commercial flights including Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting their routes early on Friday morning over western Iran without explanation. Local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.
Mehr news agency reported that “flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and airports in the west, northwest and southwest have been suspended.”
Flight-tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan, and skirting Tehran to the north and east.
Iran’s civil aviation organisation says flight restrictions in several airports have been lifted, according to Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency.
Iran appeared to downplay the attack, as a senior commander in Iran’s army Siavosh Mihandoust has told the country’s state TV on Friday that no damage was caused. He added that the noise heard overnight in Isfahan was due to air defence systems targeting a “suspicious object”, reports Reuters.
IAEA says no damage to Iran's nuclear sites
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.
In a post on X, the agency said it continues to monitor the situation very closely and calls for extreme restraint from all sides, stressing that “nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”.
Explosions were heard in the area of Isfahan, a site associated with the country’s nuclear programme.
Earlier, Iran state television described all atomic sites in the area as “fully safe.”
Gen. Siavosh Mihandoost, a local army commander, also said that the incident caused “no damage” around Isfahan.
IAEA can confirm that there is no damage to #Iran’s nuclear sites. DG @rafaelmgrossi continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely. pic.twitter.com/4F7pAlNjWM
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) April 19, 2024
Updated
Some more details on Isfahan, which is one location where the explosions were heard:
Isfahan is home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site.
State television described all atomic sites in the area as “fully safe.” Gen. Siavosh Mihandoost, a local army commander, also told Iranian state TV the incident caused “no damage” around Isfahan.
Iran’s nuclear program has rapidly advanced to producing enriched uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels since the collapse of its atomic deal with world powers.
The deal collapsed after then-President Donald Trump withdrew America from it in 2018.
Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran operated a secret military weapons program until 2003.
With Associated Press
Airports in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan were closed and flights have been cleared from the western half of Iran, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported.
Local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed. At 8am local time some airports lifted restrictions, local media in Iran reported. Although UAE based FlyDubai cancelled all flight to Iran’s capital on Friday.
Read more on what we know on Israel’s strike on Iran:
US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out airstrikes against Iran as explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz, while the Iranian government sought to play down the scale of the attack.
Officials in Washington said Israeli forces were carrying out military operations against Iran but did not describe the character or scale of those operations. Iranian state media said that drones had been shot down over Isfahan province in the early hours, and showed live shots of morning traffic in Isfahan city after sunrise to show that the situation was calm.
Israel’s N12 news channel reported that Israel had also struck targets in Iraq and Syria, and explosions were reported in both those countries.
Internal Iranian flights were cancelled, passengers at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airports were told to leave the building, and detonations were also reported in the sky over Tabriz.
Read the rest of our full report by Julian Borger in Washington and Peter Beaumont in Jerusalem:
A senior commander in Iran’s army Siavosh Mihandoust has told the country’s state TV on Friday that no damage was caused in the overnight attack.
He added that the noise heard overnight in Isfahan was due to air defence systems targeting a “suspicious object”, reports Reuters.
Iran’s civil aviation organisation says flight restrictions in several airports have been lifted, according to Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency.
Earlier, Iran said had suspended flights over some cities. Mehr news agency reported that “flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and airports in the west, northwest and southwest have been suspended.”
Despite the increasingly coordinated Iranian denials, there appear to be some consistent features in various threads of information concerning what happened around Isfahan at least.
Eyewitnesses at the city’s airport describe hearing three explosions, while initial claims on Iranian state TV described three drones observed in the sky over Isfahan in the early hours of Friday which it said were destroyed.
It is also worth recalling that early last year, Iran blamed Israel for a strike on a drone production facility in Isfahan.
The New York Times also says it has spoken to two Israeli defence officials and three Iranian officials who apparently confirmed the strike on an airbase near the city, although there is officially a “no comment line” from the Israeli military and Israeli prime ministers office.
Let’s get more on that decision by Dubai’s flydubai airline to cancel flights to Iran.
In a statement they’ve told Agence France-Presse:
In line with the issued NOTAM (notice to air missions), our flights to Iran today have been cancelled
One flight which had already departed for Tehran returned to Dubai after the Iranian capital’s airport was closed, it added.
Flights were suspended across swathes of Iran as Iranian state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan.
Emirates and flydubai have also experienced serious disruption this week after record rainfall caused more than 1,000 flight cancellations at Dubai airport, one of the world’s busiest air hubs, reports.
What we know so far about Israel’s strike on Iran:
US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out military operations against Iran. The officials said Israel warned the Biden administration earlier on Thursday that a strike was coming in the next 24 to 48 hours. According to CNN, the Israelis assured their US counterparts that Iran’s nuclear facilities would not be targeted.
Iranian state media reported that air defence batteries had been activated after reports of explosions near a major airbase close to the city of Isfahan, later adding that drones had been brought down in the province.
Isfahan is home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site. State television described all sites in the area as “fully safe”.
The airbase close to Isfahan has long been home to Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats – purchased before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting around western Iran about 4.30am local time. They offered no explanation, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed. Iran later announced it had suspended flights over some cities.
Tensions across the region remain high after Iran launched hundreds of drones as well as cruise missiles towards Israel on Saturday, in the Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state, in response to the 1 April strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which killed a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards and eight other officers.
On Thursday, Iran’s foreign minister told CNN that if Israel chooses to retaliate, Tehran’s response would be immediate. “If the Israeli regime commits the great error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
The United Arab Emirates FlyDubai airline has announced that flights to Tehran have been cancelled on Friday, according to Reuters.
It’s as the Australian government’s department of foreign affairs and trade issues warnings for the area – including for Australians to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories if they can:
There’s a high threat of military reprisals & terrorist attacks against Israel & Israeli interests across the region. The security situation could deteriorate quickly. We urge Australians in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories to depart if it's safe to do so. (1/3)
— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) April 19, 2024
There have been reports of explosions across some locations in the Middle East. The security situation could deteriorate quickly, with little notice. There may also be airspace closures, flight cancellations, diversions and other travel disruptions. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/tOqyBgr9p5
— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) April 19, 2024
The messaging coming out of Iran is not contributing to any great sense of clarity about what is going on.
The current official line is that there was no missile strike but that air defence batteries in various places operated.
This is in contrast to reporting coming out of the US from – so far unidentified officials to numerous news organisations – saying there has been an Israeli strike perhaps involving drones.
Reuters is quoting an Iranian official saying there was no missile attack on Iran and the explosion heard near Isfahan was the activation of an air defence system, one of several such incidents across Iran which also closed major airports.
However one Iranian government official and later Iran’s state-run television broadcaster suggested sites may have been targeted by drones.
IRNA said the defenses fired across several provinces. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to fire, though people across the area reported hearing the sounds.
In particular, IRNA said air defenses fired at a major airbase in Isfahan, which long has been home to Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats – purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies also reported the sound of blasts, without giving a cause. State television acknowledged “loud noise” in the area.
Irna is also saying this about air defences firing near Tabriz:
Following the sound of an explosion in the west of Tabriz, northwestern #Iran and near an area called Vadi-e- Rahmat, according to IRNA reporter, it was found that Tabriz Air Defense fired upon observing a suspicious object. No explosion happened in Tabriz, and the city is in a peaceful situation.
Summary so far
It’s 7:24am in Tehran and 6:54 In Tel Aviv. Let’s get a reminder of what we know so far:
US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out military operations against Iran but did not describe those operations.
The Israeli military has told news agencies including Agence France-Presse and Associated Press: “We don’t have a comment at this time.”
Iran’s state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan Friday
Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported “three explosions” were heard near the Shekari army airbase in the north-west of Isfahan province, while Iran’s space agency spokesperson Hossein Dalirian said “several” drones had been “successfully shot down”.
Nuclear facilities in Isfahan were reported to be “completely secure”, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, citing “reliable sources”.
Flights were suspended across swathes of Iran on Friday. “Iran’s air defence has been activated in the skies of several provinces of the country,” Tehran’s official IRNA news agency said.
Mehr news agency reported that “flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and airports in the west, northwest and southwest have been suspended.”
Flight-tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan, and skirting Tehran to the north and east.
There was no immediate comment from Dubai’s Emirates airline, which was operating several of the planes.
Blasts were also reported in southern Syria, according to a local activist group. “There were strikes on a Syrian army radar position,” said Rayan Maarouf, who runs the Suwayda24 anti-government website that covers news from Sweida province in the south, reports AFP.
Oil prices surged more than three per cent in early Asian trade on Friday after the reports of explosions.
With Agence France-Presse
Updated
US officials confirm Israel carried out operation against Iran
US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out military operations against Iran but did not describe those operations.
They said Israel warned the Biden administration earlier on Thursday that the strike was coming in the next 24 to 48 hours.
According to CNN, the Israelis assured their US counterparts that Iran’s nuclear facilities would not be targeted.
Iranian state media has confirmed only that air defence opened fire on drones in Isfahan province, bringing them down.
There were also Iranian reports of air defences working around Tabriz.
Sirens were reported in northern Israel where exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have, however, been an almost daily occurrence over the past six months.
Reuters now reports that the Israeli military said those warning sirens in the north were a false alarm.
Responding to reports that Israel had carried out an operation against Iran early on Friday morning, an IDF spokesperson said that, at this stage, there is no change in the public safety directives adding if there are any changes in the future, the public would be informed.
An hour after the first reports emerged from the US and Iran, usually well informed Israeli military correspondents had no confirmation as to whether Israel had carried out a strike on the city of Isfahan or in what way.
However both Bloomberg and CNN, quoting US officials, suggested the Biden administration had been warned of an imminent attack.
Updated
Nuclear sites unharmed - Iran state TV
Nuclear sites in Iran’s province of Isfahan remain unharmed, according to Iran’s state TV.
Air defence systems were activated in the city of Isfahan against suspected drones on Friday, reports Reuters news agency.
Iranian State TV also says that ‘at around 12:30am GMT three drones were observed in the sky over Isfahan. The air defense system became active and destroyed these drones in the sky.”
The explosions that have been reported so far appear to have been at a major Iranian base, the Shahid Salami airbase in the Iranian city of Isfahan. There are reports of explosions also occurring in southern Syria and Iraq, although details remain sketchy for now.
According to Mehr news agency there are reports that flights to Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and all other airports in west Iran have been suspended.
So far there has been no official comment from Israeli sources as the country approaches the period of the Passover holidays, however, sirens were heard in the south of the country.
Air defence systems in the Iranian city of Isfahan were activated against “an object suspected to be a drone”, sources told the semi-official Fars news agency on Friday, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, US media is reporting that Israel has launched a strike against Iran in retaliation for its weekend attack.
The Israeli military has not immediately responded to a request for comment, according to Associated Press.
ABC and CBS News reported the strikes early Friday Mideast time, quoting US officials.
There was no immediate comment from the White House or Pentagon.
Iran activated its air defense system over several cities, state media reported, after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan.
Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend. Most of them were intercepted.
That strike came in the wake of an attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus widely blamed on Israel.
Here is a map of Iran – you can see Tehran and its proximity to Isfahan.
Iran has suspended flights over several cities including the central city of Isfahan, where state media earlier reported explosions were heard near its airport.
Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military. It is about 350 kilometres (215 miles) south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Iran fires defence batteries - state-run IRNA news agency
Iran has fired air defense batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency says
IRNA said the defenses fired across several provinces, reports Associated Press. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to fire, though people across the area reported hearing the sounds.
The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported the sound of blasts, without giving a cause. State television acknowledged “loud noise” in the area as well.
It remains unclear if the country is under attack. But tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel.
Iran suspends flights over several cities
Iran has suspended flights over several cities including the central city of Isfahan, where state media earlier reported explosions were heard near its airport.
“Flights over Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran cities have been suspended,” state media reported, according to Reuters.
A short time ago, Iran’s Fars news agency said explosions had been heard in central Isfahan airport – but the reasons were unknown.
Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear program. It is about 350 kilometres (215 miles) south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Iran’s government offered no immediate comment.
Associated Press also reported that Commercial flights had begun diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran, without explanation.
Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting around western Iran early Friday. They offered no explanation, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.
Tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel.
Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria. Most of the drones and missiles were downed before reaching Israeli territory.
Updated
Welcome and opening summary
It’s 5:49am in Tehran and past 5:19am in Tel Aviv – Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency says explosions have been heard in the airport of the central city of Isfahan – but the reasons are unknown.
Commercial flights including Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting their routes early on Friday morning over western Iran without explanation. Local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.
The incident comes as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear program.
Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria. Most of the drones and missiles were downed before reaching Israeli territory.
I’m Reged Ahmad and we’ll bring you more on this as news develops on our latest blog on the Middle East crisis and the Israel-Gaza war.
But first, here’s a summary of the latest developments:
The EU foreign policy chief has warned “we are on the edge” of “a regional war in the Middle East”. “I don’t want to exaggerate but we are on the edge of a war, a regional war in the Middle East, which will be sending shock waves to the rest of the world, and in particular to Europe,” he said. “So stop it.” Borrell, said the existing EU sanctions regime on Iran would be strengthened and expanded to punish Tehran for its attack and help prevent future ones on Israel. At the same time, he said, Israel needed to exercise restraint.
The US on Thursday announced new sanctions on Iran targeting its unarmed aerial vehicle (UAV) production after its missile and drone strike on Israel last weekend. A US Department of the Treasury statement said the measures targeted 16 individuals and two entities enabling Iran’s UAV production, including engine types that power Iran’s Shahed variant UAVs, which were used in the 13 April attack.
The UK placed sanctions on Iranian military entities, including the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, an official notice showed on Thursday. The British sanctions target 13 entities or individuals in total, according to the notice.
Qatar said it was reassessing its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, according to comments made by the gulf state’s prime minister. “Qatar is in the process of a complete re-evaluation of its role,” prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told a Doha news conference. “There is exploitation and abuse of the Qatari role,” he said, adding that Qatar had been the victim of “point-scoring” by “politicians who are trying to conduct election campaigns by slighting the State of Qatar”.
The Chinese and Indonesian foreign ministers called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza after a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, condemning the humanitarian costs of the ongoing war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Indonesia’s minister of foreign affairs Retno Marsudi told reporters that the two countries share the same view about the importance of a ceasefire and of resolving the Palestinian problem through a two-state solution.
European Union leaders have agreed to increase sanctions against Iran as concern grows that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East and concern that Iran is supplying weapons to Russia in the war against Ukraine. In an official communique, the EU announced “will take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.”
The UN security council is due to vote on Thursday on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, diplomats said, a move that Israel ally the US is expected to block because it would effectively recognise a Palestinian state. The 15-member council had initially been scheduled to vote on the measure on Friday. It will now vote at 5pm EDT (9pm GMT/10pm BST) on Thursday, the diplomats said.
The EU has edged closer to calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East after a meeting of the 27 bloc leaders on Wednesday night. Although piggybacking on a UN resolution, Ireland’s taoiseach indicated the significance of the hardened up language in the official communique issued last night. “I welcome the language that has been agreed around ceasefire, not pause but ceasefire, I think that is important,” said Simon Harris Ireland’s taoiseach.
David Cameron has said it is clear Israel is “making a decision to act” in response to last weekend’s Iranian mass drone and ballistic missile attack, as Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off calls for restraint and said his country would make its own decisions about how to defend itself. Lord Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, speaking on a visit to Jerusalem, said he hoped the Israeli response would be carried out in a way that minimised escalation.
Israeli artillery shelling and aircraft strikes again hit Gaza City overnight, said An AFP correspondent in Gaza. The Israeli military said it struck dozens of militant targets over the past day.
Gaza’s civil defence said on Thursday it had recovered 11 bodies in the southern city of Khan Younis during the night.
Gaza rescue crews recovered the corpses of eight family members, including five children and two women, from a house in Rafah’s al-Salam neighbourhood, the civil defence service said.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah, described an attack on southern Rafah as “one of the bloodiest” in “wide-ranging attacks on Gaza” overnight by the Israeli military. He also said airstrikes were also recorded in the al-Mughraqa and Deir el-Balah areas.
Tareq Abu Azzoum also said that “the Israeli army, meanwhile, withdrew from Nuseirat refugee camp, leaving behind a trail of destruction” and that “civil defence crews are working to recover victims buried in the debris”.
Israel has reportedly deployed extra artillery and armoured personnel carriers to the Gaza Strip periphery, suggesting that the military is preparing for its long-threatened ground offensive on Rafah.
At least 33,970 Palestinians have been killed and 76,770 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry has said. The Hamas-led ministry figure has increased by 71 deaths since yesterday. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (Unrwa), told the UN security council on Thursday that “Unrwa personnel detained by Israeli security forces” had “shared harrowing accounts of mistreatment and torture in detention”. Lazzarini demanded an independent investigation and “accountability for the blatant disregard for the protected status of humanitarian workers, operations, and facilities under international law.”
Lazzarini also told the UN security council that Unrwa is “under enormous strain” and said that “an insidious campaign to end Unrwa’s operations is under way”. He said calls for the UN agency’s closure are “not about adherence to humanitarian principles”. Instead, he said, the calls are “about ending the refugee status of millions of Palestinians”.
Senior US and Israeli officials will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday about Israel’s plans for the southern Gaza city of Rafah as Washington seeks alternatives to an Israeli offensive, a US official said. The meeting is a follow-up to a similar meeting held on 1 April.
A Palestinian boy who survived an Israeli airstrike that destroyed his family’s home in November has died during a food aid drop. Zein Oroq was pinned under rubble after the airstrike last year that killed 17 members of his extended family. Although he was injured, he survived. Last week, during an airdrop of aid, 13-year-old Zein was struck by one of the packages and died in hospital on Sunday.
Google said on Thursday it had terminated 28 employees after some staff participated in protests against the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government. Google said it had concluded individual investigations, resulting in the termination of 28 employees, and would continue to investigate and take action as needed. In a statement on Medium, Google workers affiliated with the No Tech for Apartheid campaign called it a “flagrant act of retaliation” and claimed that some employees who did not directly participate in Tuesday’s protests were also among those Google fired.
The former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau has announced that she will be joining hundreds of people from around the world on a Gaza-bound flotilla, expected to set sail from the Mediterranean in the coming days, that will carry at least 5,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid. The flotilla, coined ‘Break the Siege’ is expected to include at least three vessels and is being organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that, according to Egyptian sources, the US had agreed to the Israeli plan for a military operation in Rafah in exchange for a limited response against Iran. It cited an Egyptian source that spoke with the London-based Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. The Guardian has been unable to independently verify the report.
With no centralised relief effort in Egypt, Palestinians are relying on grassroots charities for food, rent and clothing. Unlike in neighbouring countries, no UN body has taken responsibility for Palestinians who have fled to Egypt, while Egyptian authorities stand accused of profiting from high border-crossing fees.
Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi will visit Pakistan as scheduled next week despite increasing tension in the Middle East, Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Thursday. Ishaq Dar said Raisi will arrive in the capital, Islamabad, on 22 April on an official three-day visit.
