Iran-Israel drone attack LIVE: Israel strikes target in east Lebanon after it vowed to respond to the 300 drones and missiles sent by Iran in unprecedented attack

Prime Minster Rishi Sunak has confirmed RAF pilots shot down ‘a number’ of Iranian attack drones while intercepting the attack of Israel last night.

He called for ‘calm heads to prevail’ and said he wanted to ‘pay tribute to the bravery and professionalism of our pilots flying into the face of danger to protect civilians’.

It came after Israel levelled a building in east Lebanon and vowed a response to Iran’s 300 missile attack – as the Middle East holds its breath amid fears of World War III.

Russia has urged for all parties to ‘show restraint’ and ‘expressed concern’ over further escalation of the conflict after Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel in the early hours of this morning.

‘We are counting on the regional states to solve the existing problems with political and diplomatic means,’ the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote: ‘The Italian Government reiterates its condemnation of Iranian attacks against Israel.

‘The Italian presidency of the G7 has organized a conference at leaders’ level for the first afternoon of today.

‘We express strong concern about further destabilization of the region and continue to work to avoid it.’

Labour’s Yvette Cooper has today criticised Iran for its attack on Israel, calling for everyone involved to prevent further escalation.

‘We strongly condemn this attack by Iran on Israel – this reckless decision at a time when the international community has been urging restraint, because everyone’s greatest concern has been the potential escalation to a wider regional conflict,’ the Shadow Home Secretary said.

‘So we strongly condemn the action that Iran has taken. It’s really important that everyone is working hard now to prevent further escalation.’

Iran’s foreign ministry has summoned the ambassadors of the UK, France and Germany to question the western diplomats over what Tehran calls their ‘irresponsible’ stance regarding the retaliatory strikes on Israel.

Pope Francis has made a ‘pressing appeal’ against a ‘spiral of violence’ after Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel, warning of a potential regional conflagration.

‘I make an urgent appeal for an end to any action which could fuel a spiral of violence that risks dragging the Middle East into an even greater conflict,’ the Argentinian pontiff declared following his traditional Sunday prayer in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Israel has struck a building in east Lebanon and vowed a response to Iran’s 300 missile attack – as the Middle East holds its breath amid fears of World War III.

A source within Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said Israel struck one of its buildings in Lebanon, close to the Syrian border today, as tensions soared after Iran directly attacked Israel.

The source told news agency AFP: ‘The Israeli strike targeted an area… near Baalbek and targeted a two-storey building belonging to Hezbollah,’ adding that there were no casualties reported.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also reported that ‘an enemy air strike targeted a building’ in the village of Nabi Sheet and ‘destroyed it’.

The remains of a rocket booster that, according to Israeli authorities, critically injured a seven-year-old girl have been pictured.

The little girl was seriously wounded during the interception of a missile freed from Iran last night. She is having surgery for a major head wound, Soroka Medical Center said.

The child, from a Bedouin town near Arad, is currently in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.

The girl’s injury happened when shrapnel from the intercepted ballistic missile dropped on her family’s home at about 2am this morning.

G7 leaders are to hold urgent talks after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that saw RAF jets deployed to shoot down drones from Tehran.

Rishi Sunak is expected to join US President Joe Biden on the call today amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counter-strike.

Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles early this morning.

It marks the first time a direct military assault has been launched by Tehran on Israel despite decades enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Israeli warships have been seen patrolling off the coast of the Israeli city of Netanyu.

Iran launched its first first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory late last night, marking a major ‘escalation’ of the long-running conflict in the Middle East.

The US embassy in Jerusalem has now lifted its ‘shelter in place’ order for US employees.

It said the threat of ‘drone and/or missile barrages has diminished’.

The statement added that the US will ‘continue to closely monitor the security environment,’ and that schools remain closed while many flights have been delayed or cancelled.

Aerial photos show isolated beaches in the Israeli coastal city of Netanyu today after Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israeli terriroty light night.

NATO has condemned Iran’s attack on Israel as ‘escalation’ and called for restraint.

It comes after Israel revealed it shot down hundreds of drones and missiles fired by Iran last night.

Iran sent the salvo of missiles in response to a drone strike which killed 12 Iranians in Syria this month.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US military intercepted dozens of missiles and drones.

Meanwhile, UK fighter planes were also involved, while a spokesperson for the Israeli ministry said France contributed by patrolling air space.

Jordan has issued a statement saying it intercepted objects that came into its air space.

A seven-year-old girl who was seriously wounded during the interception of a missile freed from Iran last night is having surgery for a major head wound, Soroka Medical Center said.

The child, from a Bedouin town near Arad, is currently in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.

The girl’s injury happened when shrapnel from the intercepted ballistic missile dropped on her family’s home at about 2am this morning.

Dr Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said Iran’s attack on Israel was ‘meant to be a kind of spectacle that Iran wanted the world to witness’.

Dr Khati told BBC Radio 5 Live that the attack was ‘highly choerographed’ and ‘actually quite limited’.

‘So this shows that Iran just wanted to send a very strong message, to save face, so that it is seen as having responded directly to Israel, but at the same time it definitely does not want the matter to escalate any further,’ she said.

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the UK must ‘stand up for Israel’s security’ and called for an end to the ‘horrifying cycle of violence’.

Mr Davey said in a statement: ‘We utterly condemn Iran’s attack on Israel. This is a dangerous escalation in a conflict that has already caused far too much death and suffering.

‘We must prevent further escalation and remain focused on finally achieving a lasting peace, so that Israeli and Palestinian children – both – can grow up free of the horrifying cycle of violence that has endured for so long.’

Bright flashing objects were seen falling in the sky over Amman, Jordan, after Iran launched a swarm of drones and filed missiles at Israel.

A barrage of objects falling from the skies were seen all over Israel, West Bank, and Jerusalem in the early hours of this morning.

Iran fired missiles at Israel in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory.

Victoria Atkins, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said the UK continues to ‘support’ Israel.

But the MP added that the UK’s message after Iran’s attack on Israel ‘across the region is that we must no escalate this’.

Hamas has defended Iran’s attack on Israel, calling it ‘a natural right and a deserved response’.

‘We in Hamas regard the military operation conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran as a natural right and a deserved response on the crime of targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus and the assassination of several leaders of the Revolutionary Guards,’ the group said in a statement.

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, condemned Iran’s attack on Israel, saying he urges ‘all parties to exercise maximum restraint’.

He wrote in a statement: ‘I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.

‘I have repeatedly stressed that neither the region nor the world can afford another war.’

RAF jets have been used to shoot down Iranian drones after Tehran announced it launched an attack on Israel in what threatens to become a major regional escalation.

Warplanes in Iraq and Syria have been deployed to intercept ‘any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions’, the Ministry of Defence said.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said 99 per cent of more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles had been shot down outside the country’s borders with aircraft intercepting more than 10 cruise missiles.

Iran has reiterated a warning to Israel todaym saying it should not respond to it attack on Israeli territory as its nexts steps will be bigger if it does.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian armed forces chief of staff, said if Israel retaliates, Iran’s response will be ‘much larger’ than the overnight bombardment, Reuters reported.

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

Israel has said it ‘foiled’ Iran’s unprecedented attack on its country yesterday and revealed 120 ballistic missiles along with 200 drones were used – with a seven-year-old girl left injured in ‘serious condition’ at hospital.

Last night, innocent civilians were forced to flee to bomb shelters across the nation.

Iran sent the salvo of missiles in response to a drone strike at the beginning of April in Syria that killed 12 Iranians, including two top generals.

The Israeli military today said that Iran’s unprecedented overnight attack on Israel has been ‘foiled’ with hundreds of missiles and drones intercepted with the help of the United States and allies.

Read the full story here:

• Israel revealed it has shot down more than 200 drones and missiles fired by Iran last night
• A seven-year-old girl has been left injured in ‘serious condition’ in hospital
• Iran sent the salvo of missiles in response to a drone strike which killed 12 Iranians in Syria this month
• Iran today warned Israel of a larger attack if it retaliates against the overnight drone