Israel's military chief said Monday that the country will respond after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says "all sides must show restraint" to avoid a rising spiral of violence in the Middle East. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris will try to "convince Israel that we must not respond by escalating."
The Iranian attack on Saturday marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The attack happened less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.
An Israeli military spokesman said that 99 per cent of the drones and missiles launched by Iran were intercepted.
Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel鈥檚 six-month war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.
An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,700 people, according to local health officials.
Here is the latest:
U.S. Air Force jets, navy helped take out Iran missles, drones
The Pentagon says Air Force fighter jet squadrons in the region as well as Navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea participated in the effort to take out Iranian missiles and drones.
The USS Carney and the USS Arleigh Burke, both Navy destroyers, shot down missiles from the sea.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said Monday that some additional fighter squadrons were moved into the region before the weekend, and they remain there. He would not identify the countries where they were based.
Israel鈥檚 military chief has said the Iranian strike 鈥渨ill be met with a response.鈥� Asked about that, Ryder said any response is up to Israel to decide. But he added that, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to see escalation, but we obviously will take necessary measures to protect our forces in the region.鈥�
Pressed on whether such a response would be counterproductive to stability in the region, he said the U.S. will 鈥渟tay in close consultation with our Israeli partners, as we have done throughout the weekend. Again, we don鈥檛 seek wider regional conflict.鈥�
Palestinian officials say 2 killed in West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank 鈥� Palestinian officials say two Palestinian men have been killed in an attack by Israeli settlers in the northern West Bank.
The area has been tense in recent days after a 14-year-old Israeli boy was killed in what Israel said was a nationalistic attack.
Settlers have responded with assaults in a number of Palestinian communities, despite calls by Israeli leaders not to take the law into their own hands.
The Palestinian office of civilian affairs says the two men, ages 21 and 30, were shot dead in Monday鈥檚 attack in the town of Aqraba, near Nablus.
The Israeli army said a violent confrontation occurred in the area between Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and that troops rushed to disperse the crowds. It said its initial investigation determined the Palestinians had not been shot by army fire. It said Israeli police and the army were investigating.
Violence has surged in the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war began, with over 460 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during that time, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel says it will respond to Iran's attack
JERUSALEM -- Israel's military chief says the country will respond to Iran's missile strike.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Monday that Israel is still considering its steps. But he said the Iranian strike of missiles and attack drones "will be met with a response."
Halevi spoke during a visit to the Nevatim air base, which Israel says suffered light damage in the Iranian attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been huddling with top officials to discuss a possible response.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to say whether the U.S. had been or expects to be briefed on Israeli response plans. "We will let the Israelis speak to that," he told reporters Monday.
"We are not involved in their decision-making process about a potential response," Kirby said.
Pro-Palestinian demostrators block traffic into Chicago airport
CHICAGO -- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O'Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation's busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers.
Protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 around 7 a.m., a demonstration they said was part of a global "economic blockade to free Palestine," according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organizers. Similar demonstrations blocking a freeway in California's Bay Area also took place Monday.
O'Hare warned travelers on the social platform X to take alternative forms of transportation with car travel "substantially delayed this morning due to protest activity."
UN security council concerned about risk of escalation
UNITED NATIONS -- A United Nations Security Council meeting on Yemen on Monday touched on the risk of escalation after Iran's attack on Israel.
Diplomats are calling this "a particularly dangerous moment in the Middle East," as UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said.
"The need for broader regional de-escalation is acute," he added. "I share the secretary-general's alarm about the very real danger of regionwide escalation and his urging to all parties for maximum restraint."
A UN Security Council emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the attack ended without any action taken.
"Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "Now is the time for maximum restraint."
British prime minister urges restraint
LONDON -- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says "all sides must show restraint" to avoid a rising spiral of violence in the Middle East.
Sunak on Monday condemned Iran's attack on Israel as "a reckless and dangerous escalation." He said he would speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express the U.K.'s solidarity with Israel "and to discuss how we can prevent further escalation."
Britain is urging Israel to refrain from a retaliatory strike. Sunak told lawmakers in the House of Commons that "we want to see calmer heads prevail."
He said Israel's security is "non-negotiable," but added that the conflict in Gaza must be brought to an end, and the world "must invest more deeply in the two-state solution."
Iran's ballistic missiles
WASHINGTON -- Iran had about 150 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel from Iranian territory, and appears to have used up most of that current stockpile in its weekend attack, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former head of U.S. CENTCOM said Monday.
McKenzie discussed the attack in a panel discussion with the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, a Washington-based think tank and lobbying group.
McKenzie argued that Iran's expenditure of those 150 long-range missiles, out of a total ballistic missile stockpile of about 3,000, showed that Iran's barrage on Israel "was a maximum effort. It was an indiscriminate effort."
The U.S. and its partners in the region are easily able to track when Iran brings its ballistic missiles out of storage and positions them on launch pads, he said.
When Iran launches, deep space sensors detect that immediately, he said. Radars in the region then catch when any missiles break the radar plane, he said.
Especially given the distance involved, "it is hard for Iran to generate a bolt from the blue against Israel," McKenzie said.
Russia is 'extremely concerned' over the mideast situation
MOSCOW -- The Kremlin is "extremely concerned" about the situation in the Middle East, its spokesman said Monday.
Dmitry Peskov told his daily conference call with reporters that Moscow urges "all countries in the region to show restraint."
"Further escalation is in no one's interests. Therefore, of course, we advocate that all disagreements be resolved exclusively by political and diplomatic methods," Peskov said.
Austrian foreign minister condemns Iran's attack
BERLIN --- Austria's foreign minister has spoken with his Iranian counterpart to condemn Tehran's attack on Israel and call on Iran to rein in its proxies in the Middle East.
Alexander Schallenberg said in a statement he told Iran's Hossein Amirabdollahian on Monday that "we cannot afford another front in the Middle East. There would only be losers, in the region and beyond."
Schallenberg said he also urged Amirabdollahian to "exercise Iran's influence on proxies in the region."
Austria hosted talks on Iran's nuclear agreement with world powers in 2015.
Amirabdollahian already spoke on Sunday with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. A spokesperson for Baerbock, Christian Wagner, said Iran's ambassador to Germany was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on Monday.
Oil prices fall after Iran's strike on Israel is thwarted
Oil prices fell on Monday after Iran's missile and drone strike failed to cause widespread damage in Israel and the U.S. administration made it clear it did not support a wider war with Iran.
Analysts say the chief risk to oil prices from the Israel-Hamas war is if the conflict escalates and disrupts oil supplies from Iran and Persian Gulf producers through the Strait of Hormuz choke point.
The stance taken by Iran, which said the matter "can be deemed concluded" with the retaliatory strikes, and the U.S. position reassured oil traders, who sent the price of international benchmark Brent crude 0.7% lower to $89.82 per barrel in Monday morning trading. That is below the levels just above $90 per barrel seen on Friday before the weekend attacks.
Risks that could send prices higher include any Israeli strike against Iranian oil facilities or tougher enforcement of sanctions against Iran by the U.S. "Any retaliation by Israel ... especially one that targets Iran's oil facilities, will have major implications for energy markets," said analysts at S&P Global.
Tougher sanctions enforcement against Iranian oil shipments by the U.S. could raise oil prices but would risk higher inflation and pump prices for U.S. motorists in an election year.
Four Israeli soldiers wounded in blast along Lebanon border
TEL AVIV -- The Israeli military says four soldiers were wounded by an explosion along the northern border with Lebanon.
The military said that the source of the explosion, which occurred overnight, was still unclear. It left one soldier severely wounded, two moderately wounded, and one with light injuries.
The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Monday that mines they set up in southern Lebanon near the border detonated after Israeli ground troops encroached on Lebanese territory, incurring casualties.
The incident comes as tensions in the region soared after an Iranian air assault was thwarted by Israel and its allies. Israel has not said whether it will respond.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 7, concerns have grown that near-daily clashes along the border between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into a full-scale war.
German chancellor calls in Israel to contribute to de-escalation
BERLIN -鈥� German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling on Israel to 鈥渃ontribute to de-escalation鈥� in the Middle East following Iran鈥檚 attack on the country.
Scholz told reporters in Shanghai on Monday that 鈥淚ran must stop this aggression.鈥�
Asked whether he will attempt to dissuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a military response to Saturday night鈥檚 attack, he said there鈥檚 widespread agreement that Israel鈥檚 success in largely repelling the attack with allies鈥� help was 鈥渞eally impressive.鈥�
He added that 鈥渢his is a success that perhaps also should not be thrown away. Hence also our advice to contribute to de-escalation themselves.鈥�
Germany is a staunch ally of Israel.
African governments urge Israel, Iran to avoid escalation
KAMPALA, Uganda 鈥� Some African governments are urging Israel and Iran to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
While Iran鈥檚 attack on Israel 鈥渞epresents a real and present threat to international peace and security,鈥� Israel should 鈥渟how utmost restraint鈥� in its response, President William Ruto of Kenya said in a statement posted on social platform X.
The warring parties 鈥渕ust exercise the utmost restraint and avoid any act that would escalate tensions in a particularly fragile region,鈥� South Africa's government said in a statement Sunday.
Nigeria's Foreign Ministry urged Israel and Iran to 鈥渞eflect on the universal commitment to peaceful resolution of conflicts.鈥�
Gaza health ministry reports 68 dead in last 24 hours
CAIRO 鈥� The Health Ministry in Gaza on Monday said the bodies of 68 people killed in Israel鈥檚 bombardment have been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours. Another 94 were wounded, it said.
The fresh fatalities brought the death toll in the strip to 33,797 since the war began on Oct. 7, it said. The ministry doesn鈥檛 differentiate between civilians and combatants, but said two-thirds of the dead are children and women.
Another 76,456 were wounded in the war, the ministry said.
The ministry said many casualties remain under the rubble and first responders have been unable to retrieve them amid the relentless bombing.
Israel launched its war on Hamas after the militant group鈥檚 complex attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Israeli authorities say 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and roughly 250 people taken hostage in the attack. Israel says it has killed 12,000 militants in its offensive, without providing evidence.
Israeli military warns Palestinians not to return to northern Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip 鈥� The Israeli military renewed warnings on Monday for Palestinians in Gaza not to return to the embattled territory鈥檚 north, a day after five people were killed trying to reach their homes in the war-torn area.
The military said Palestinians should stay in southern Gaza where they have been told to shelter because the north is a 鈥渄angerous combat zone,鈥� Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on social platform X.
On Sunday, hundreds of Palestinians sheltering in central Gaza headed north in an attempt to return to their homes. Throngs of people were seen crowding a seaside road.
Hospital authorities in Gaza said five people were shot by Israeli forces while trying to head north. The Israeli military had no immediate comment and the precise circumstances behind the deaths were not immediately clear.
The returnees said they were prompted to make the journey north because they were fed up with the difficult conditions they are forced to live under while displaced.
Northern Gaza was an early target in Israel鈥檚 war against Hamas, which it launched in response to the militant group鈥檚 deadly Oct. 7 attack. The military is still operating in the north in a bid to stamp out militants that have regrouped.
Vast parts of northern Gaza have been flattened by Israel鈥檚 offensive and much of its population displaced.
British foreign secretary urges Israel to avoid striking back at Iran
LONDON 鈥� British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has urged Israel 鈥渢o be smart as well as tough鈥� and avoid striking back at Iran in response to its drone and missile barrage.
Cameron told the BBC that the U.K. does not support a retaliatory strike. The U.K.鈥檚 top diplomat said the attack had been a defeat for Iran and echoed President Joe Biden, who urged Israel to 鈥渢ake the win.鈥�
Cameron said Britain鈥檚 message to Israel is: 鈥淣ow is the time to be smart as well as tough, to think with head as well as heart.鈥�
He said British fighter jets had played an 鈥渋mportant part鈥� in shooting down some of the more than 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones fired at Israel from Iran, but did not provide details.
Macron says Iran's attack on Israel was a 鈥榙isproportionate response鈥�
PARIS 鈥� French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran鈥檚 attack on Israel was a 鈥渄isproportionate response鈥� to the bombing of its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Firing a barrage of missiles and drones on Israel was an 鈥渦nprecedented, very dangerous鈥� act in the volatile Middle East, Macron said of Saturday鈥檚 attacks.
Speaking to French media BFMTV and RMC on Monday, Macron said that France had carried out 鈥渋nterceptions鈥� of missiles that Iran aimed at Israel at the request of Jordan.
鈥淲e have condemned, we have intervened, we will do everything to avoid an escalation, an inferno,鈥� Macron said.
He said France will try to 鈥渃onvince Israel that we must not respond by escalating.鈥�
Instead of retaliating by attacking Tehran, France will work to 鈥渋solate Iran, increase sanctions and find a path to peace in the region,鈥� Macron said.
German FM tells Iranian counterpart not to further escalate tensions
PARIS 鈥� Germany鈥檚 foreign minister says she has made 鈥渦nmistakably鈥� clear to her Iranian counterpart that Tehran must not further escalate tensions in the Middle East.
Annalena Baerbock spoke by phone Sunday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, following a previous conversation last week before Iran鈥檚 attack on Israel. She said she 鈥渨arned him unmistakably against a further escalation.鈥�
She said at a news conference in Paris on Monday that 鈥淚ran is isolated.鈥� She added that 鈥淚srael won in a defensive way鈥� thanks to its strong air defence and the intervention of the U.S., Britain and Arab countries.
Baerbock said that 鈥渋t is now important to secure this defensive victory diplomatically鈥� and prevent a regional confrontation.
Asked whether Israel has the right to strike back against Iran, Baerbock said that 鈥渢he right to self-defence means fending off an attack; retaliation is not a category in international law.鈥� She said she had made that point to Amirabdollahian last week.
