Israel-Iran crisis - live updates: Netanyahu accuses Tehran of crossing 'red line' as nations edge closer to conflict

Confrontation brings two of Middle East's major powers to brink of full-scale war

Syrian military video shows air defences trying to intercept Israeli missiles

Israel has launched one of the heaviest barrages against Iranian targets in neighbouring Syria since the civil war there began in 2011, after Iranian forces in the country bombarded Israeli army bases with rockets.

The attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights marks the first time Iranian forces have hit Israel from Syria, where they are supporting the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad.

Israel said its targets included weapons storage, logistics sites and intelligence centres used by elite Iranian forces in Syria. It also said it destroyed several Syrian air-defence systems after coming under heavy fire and that none of its warplanes were hit.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's air strikes were “appropriate” because Iran had “crossed a red line.”

“We are in the midst of a protracted battle and our policy is clear: We will not allow Iran to entrench itself militarily in Syria,” Mr Netanyahu said in a brief video address.

Israel has largely tried to stay on the sidelines of Syria’s civil war, but has previously acknowledged carrying out over 100 airstrikes over the past seven years, most believed to be aimed at Iranian weapons shipments bound for the Hezbollah militant group.

The confrontation came as expectations of a regional flare-up were stoked by Donald Trump’s announcement he was withdrawing the US from the Iranian nuclear deal.

Israel and Iran have appeared to be on a collision course for months.

In February, Israel shot down what it said was an armed Iranian drone that entered Israeli airspace.

Israel responded by attacking anti-aircraft positions in Syria, and an Israeli warplane was shot down during the battle.

Russia has also sent forces to Syria to back the regime, but Israel and Russia have maintained close communications to prevent their air forces from coming into conflict.

Additional reporting by agencies

Key Points

• Israel and Iran on brink of full-scale war
• 23 fighters killed in Israeli strikes, Syrian war monitoring group says
• Israel's defence minister says he hopes latest round of violence is over
• Syria’s war appears to enter new chapter
• What it's like on the ground in Golan Heights
• UK 'condemns in strongest terms' Iranian rocket attacks on Israel

[10 May 2018 21:47 · Kristin Hugo]

Israel's ambassador to the UN is calling on the secretary general and the Security Council to condemn Iran's missile attack – an unlikely move for the council, which is heavily divided over Syria.

Ambassador Danny Danon also called for the removal of Iran's military presence in Syria, claiming Tehran "continues to threaten the very existence of a member-state of the United Nations".

"Israel is not interested in escalation, but under no circumstances will we allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria whose purpose is to attack Israel and to deteriorate an already fragile situation in the region," he said in letters to the security council and secretary general.

No members of the Security Council have called for a meeting on the attacks.

[10 May 2018 21:51 · Kristin Hugo]

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he thanked Theresa May for Britain's condemnation of the Iranian missile fire and its support for Israel's right to defend itself in a phone call earlier on Thursday.

Ms May's office had previously released a statement confirming that the call had taken place.

[10 May 2018 22:22 · Kristin Hugo]

Israeli intelligence officials believe another clash with Iran is unlikely, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Israeli military sources said their attack had taken out much of Iran's deployment and aerial defenses in Syria, making it unlikely that Tehran would retaliate soon.

Nonetheless, intelligence sources told the paper, Israel is upping security around its embassies abroad in the event of future attacks. 

[10 May 2018 22:49 · Kristin Hugo]

Hassan Rouhani has told Angela Merkel he does not want "new tensions" in the Middle East, according to multiple reports.

"Iran has always sought to reduce tensions in the region, trying to strengthen security and stability," Mr Rouhani told Ms Merkel in a phone call the day after the missile strikes.

Ms Merkel condemned the strikes but voiced her continued support for the 2015 nuclear deal, according to an earlier statement released by her office.

[10 May 2018 23:32 · Steve Anderson]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed in a telephone call that the United States had been wrong to withdraw from a big-power nuclear deal with Iran, a Turkish presidential source has told Reuters.

They also discussed escalating tensions in Syria, the source said.

[11 May 2018 00:23 · Steve Anderson]

[11 May 2018 03:03 · Steve Anderson]

Thank you for following along with us and reading the latest news of the recent Iran-Israel tensions. We'll have ongoing coverage and analysis from our Middle East, UK, and US correspondents over at independent.co.uk and on Facebook and Twitter.