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
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Your support makes all the difference.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
More from Mr Netanyahu's brief address, released as a video:
The prime minister said Israel carried out a "very broad attack against Iranian targets in Syria."
"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.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's office says the German leader has condemned an Iranian rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights in a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
She also reaffirmed European powers' continued support for the Iran nuclear deal.
Ms Merkel's office said in a statement that the chancellor underlined the support of Germany, France and Britain for the nuclear deal so long as Tehran continues to fulfill its obligations under that agreement. Ms Merkel advocated opening talks with Iran on its ballistic missile programs and its activities in countries such as Syria and Yemen.
The statement said Ms Merkel condemned the overnight attacks on Israeli positions "and called on Iran to contribute to de-escalation in the region." It did not say how Mr Rouhani responded.
Meanwhile, the US Treasury has imposed fresh sanctions on Thursday against six people it linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's elite Qods Force and three Iranian entities.
The six individuals and three entities were sanctioned under US regulations targeting specially designated global terrorist suspects and Iranian financial activity, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
On the ground in Syria, insurgents have left an enclave in south Damascus, according to state media. They are the last in a string of rebel towns that have surrendered around the capital in recent weeks.
A pocket near Homs city remains the only besieged enclave in rebel hands across the country, though insurgent factions still hold tracts of the northwest and southwest along Syria's international borders.
Fierce offensives and evacuation deals have helped President Bashar al-Assad's military wrestle back control of much of Syria, with support from Russia and Iran.
Here is an explainer of the situation between Israel and Iran for those catching up with events:
And here is the latest on the sanctions from the Trump administration.
Theresa May has told Benjamin Netanyahu that Britain supports Israel's right to defend itself against Iranian aggression during a phone call today.
"The Prime Minister condemned the Iranian rocket attacks against Israeli forces, and said we strongly support Israel's right to defend itself against Iranian aggression," Ms May's office said in a statement.
The statement added that Ms May and Mr Netanyahu "agreed it was vital for the international community to continue working together to counter Iran's destabilising regional activity, and for Russia to use its influence in Syria to prevent further Iranian attacks".
Ms May reiterated the British position on the Iran nuclear deal and said the UK and its European partners "remain firmly committed to ensuring the deal is upheld, as the best way of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon", Downing Street said.
The European Union has described Iran's alleged strikes against Israeli army posts as "extremely worrying".
It called on all regional actors to show restraint and avoid any escalation, but said Israel had the right to defend itself.
"Reports about last night's Iranian attacks against Israeli army posts from inside Syria, to which Israel responded by striking against Iranian targets in Syria, are extremely worrying," said a spokeswoman for the bloc's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has placed nine Iranian people and entities on its list of terrorists and terrorist organisations for suspected connections with Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.
"The nine individuals and entities have been designated for procuring and transferring millions in US dollar-denominated bulk cash to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force," said state news agency WAM.
It did not specify whether any of the people or entities had any link to the UAE.
The step was taken following close collaboration with the United States, which has designated the same individuals and entities, the statement added.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has spoken by phone with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, according to a statement on the former's website.
The two discussed the US's decision to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal, and agreed that it was the wrong decision, according to the statement. Both also suggested expanding trade between Turkey and Iran to make up for economic losses in the wake of the US's withdrawal.
Mr Rouhani also urged European nations to "clearly state their actions and stances to compensate for the withdrawal of the United States in the short time that is left”.
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