Israel-Iran latest: Biden says US won’t back strike on Iran’s nuclear sites as Israeli military vows response

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met security chiefs at the defence ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, a statement from his office has reported.

It comes 12 hours after Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in an unprecedented attack. A previous Iranian aerial assault in April involved around 300 rockets and drones.

Earlier, we reported that two explosions had been recorded near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, as police rushed to the scene. Three people have been apprehended in connection with the incident.

We can now report that a Danish police spokesperson has told a press conference that they believe the two blasts near the Israeli embassy were likely caused by hand grenades.

Tens of thousands of passengers are out of position as a result of widespread flight diversions. The normal flightpath from Europe and North America to the Gulf and south Asia is to fly to the southeast corner of Turkey and then head southeast over either Iran or Iraq.

But as missiles were fired from Iran over Iraq towards Israel, the airspace of both countries was closed.

The most extreme response was Air France flight AF218 from Paris to Mumbai – in which the passengers endured an eight-hour trip to nowhere. The Airbus A350 had departed four hours late from Charles de Gaulle airport. By the time it reached Iraq, the nation’s airspace was suddenly closed. The plane turned around and, battling headwinds, finally arrived back at Paris CDG exactly 12 hours after the original departure time.

The Independent has also identified dozens of diversions on Emirates and Qatar Airways, with passengers from the UK landing at a range of European and Saudi Arabian airports – and, when finally reaching the hub in Dubai or Doha, found they had missed their connections.

Sir Keir Starmer has again urged parties to the conflict in the Middle East to “pull back from the brink” ahead of a meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leven.

“Can I join you in condemning the attack by Iran just recently,” he said. “We stand with Israel and recognise her full right to security and self-defence.

“We do need to pull back from the brink and to encourage all parties to find a way to de-escalate and find a political solution to the many fronts in this crisis in the Middle East.

“Of course, foremost on our minds is the hostages still held [in Gaza] after such a very, very long time. They should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

He added that he would be discussing the ongoing crisis in the Middle East during his behind closed doors meeting with Ms von der Leyen later today.

The Israeli military has announced that an army team commander was killed in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese army said a Lebanese soldier was injured in an Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon.

The soldier was hurt as a Lebanese army unit worked to open a road at the entrance to the southern Lebanese town of Kawkaba, the army said.

Danish police have apprehended three inviduals in relation to explosions near the Israeli embassy in the early hours of Wednesday morning.