Summary
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian refuses to acknowledge if Israel was involved in Friday’s attack, 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”
- World leaders have been repeating calls for de-escalation in the Middle East, after 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, which saw an Israeli attack on an Iranian compound in Syria, and Iran launch 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
