Iran-Israel conflict LIVE | US denies Tehran gave prior notice about attack

Turkish, Jordanian and Iraqi officials have claimed that Iran gave neighbours and the US wide notice days before its attack on Israel, but US officials have denied it. The latter have said Tehran did not warn Washington about the attack and that it was aiming to cause significant damage. A senior official in the Biden administration, speaking to news agency Reuters, alleged that Iran only communicated with the US after the attack had commenced.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reached out over phone to the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, while Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had calls with his Saudi and Israeli counterparts, amid signs of an escalating crisis in the Middle East following Iran's strikes on Israel.

The diplomatic overdrive to fight the crisis came soon after US President Joe Biden had a conference call with G-7 leaders and had separate telephonic conversations with King Abdullah of Jordan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

In all the calls, the American leadership emphasised on the need to avoid further escalation in the region and reaffirmed America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.

They also reaffirmed the importance of diplomatic efforts to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza that provides lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, the state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a readout of the calls that Blinken had with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

At the UN headquarters in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told members of the Security Council, during an emergency meeting, that it is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.

“Regional and indeed global peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” he said.

White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby joined several shows where he asserted that Biden and the US are making good on its ironclad commitment to defend Israel. He also made clear that the United States is not seeking a conflict with Iran.

“Now, whether and how the Israelis will respond, that’s going to be up to them. We understand that and respect that. But the president’s been very clear. We don’t seek a war with Iran and we’re not looking for escalation here. We will continue to help Israel defend itself,” he said.

G-7 leaders on Sunday condemned in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel and said the development risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation.

The UN Security Council decided to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the issue.

“With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilisation of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided. We will continue to work to stabilise the situation and avoid further escalation,” G-7 leaders said in a joint statement after a conference call among them initiated by President Joe Biden.

“In this spirit, we demand that Iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives,” the statement said a day after Saturday's attack by Iran on Israel.

“We, the Leaders of the G7, unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel. Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel. Israel, with the help of its partners, defeated the attack,” the leaders said after their virtual call.

The G-7 group — made up of the US, Italy, Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Canada — also expresses full solidarity and support for Israel and its people and reaffirms its commitment towards its security.

“We will also strengthen our cooperation to end the crisis in Gaza, including by continuing to work towards an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas, and deliver increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need,” the G-7 leaders said.

Biden also spoke by phone with Jordanian King Abdullah II to discuss Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel.

India on Sunday said it is seriously concerned over the escalating hostilities between the two sides and called for immediate halt to violence and return to the path of diplomacy.

“We are seriously concerned at the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran which threatens the peace and security in the region,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

“We call for immediate de-escalation, exercise of restraint, stepping back from violence and return to the path of diplomacy,” it said.

The MEA said India is closely monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia.

“We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. Our Embassies in the region are in close touch with the Indian community,” it said in a statement.

“It is vital that security and stability are maintained in the region,” it added.

In his phone conversation with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Jaishankar also called for the release of 17 Indians onboard a Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel MSC Aries.

On Saturday, the Iranian military seized a cargo ship with Israeli links near the Strait of Hormuz. The ship has 17 Indian crew members.

“Spoke to Iranian FM @Amirabdolahian this evening. Took up the release of 17 Indian crew members of MSC Aries,” Jaishankar posted on X. “Discussed the current situation in the region. Stressed the importance of avoiding escalation, exercising restraint and returning to diplomacy. Agreed to remain in touch,” he said.

In his talks with Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz, Jaishankar shared India’s concerns over the situation arising out of the Iran-Israel hostilities.

“Shared our concern at the developments yesterday. Discussed the larger regional situation. Agreed to stay in touch,” the external affairs minister said.

With escalation of tensions in West Asia, India on Friday asked its citizens not to travel to Iran and Israel.

It is learnt that New Delhi is looking at various contingencies including possible evacuation of the Indians from the two countries if the overall situation deteriorates.

At present, around 4,000 Indians are residing in Iran while the number in Israel is nearly 18,500, according to official estimates.

The Israeli military says it is activating two reserve brigades for “operational activities” in Gaza.

Sunday’s announcement comes as Israel prepares for a ground invasion of Rafah – the southern Gaza city that Israel says is Hamas’s last major stronghold.

Israel last week withdrew most of its remaining ground forces from Gaza after six months of war, leaving its troop levels in the territory at the lowest level in months.

The Rafah invasion faces stiff international opposition, in large part because over 1 million people, roughly half of Gaza's population, are now crowded into the city after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the territory. They say they have nowhere else to go.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is determined to complete the Gaza operation. He says Israel has even set a date for the operation and claimed that Israel has a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah.

Leaders of the G7 — the informal gathering of industrialized countries that includes the United States, United Kingdom and France — issued a statement on Sunday “unequivocally condemning in the strongest terms Iran's direct and unprecedented attack against Israel”.

The statement came after the leaders met in a video conference hosted by the Italian presidency.

“Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel. Israel, with the help of its partners, defeated the attack,” the statement reads. “We express our full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment towards its security.” The group also stressed that Iran “with its actions, has further stepped toward the destabilisation of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation.” The G7 leaders said that scenario must be avoided.

“We will continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation. In this spirit, we demand that Iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives,” they said.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Sunday hailed Iran for its early attack on southern Israel, saying it's the beginning of a “new phase” of the conflict with Israel and the Palestinian cause.

The Iranian attack came less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building. It 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 operation precisely achieved its limited military objectives, despite the involvement of the United States, its allies, and its regional tools in responding to the stunning attack,” the Lebanese group said in a statement.

“The long-term political and strategic objectives for this major development will be successfully apparent over time.”

Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, praised regional and international efforts that helped thwart the Iranian missile and drone attack on Sunday.

The US and Britain have confirmed that they helped intercept some of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched toward Israel early Sunday.

“This event is not over — the strategic alliance and regional cooperation system that we built and stood its significant test needs to be strengthened right now,” Gantz said.

Jordan, which sits between Israel and Iran, also indicated its military may have come to Israel's defence, despite being at odds with its neighbour over its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Jordan briefly closed its airspace and announced that “some of the flying objects that entered our airspace last night were dealt with and confronted”.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is part of the Taliban government, issued a statement in support of Iran Saturday, saying Israel acted “in continuation of its crimes and in contravention of all diplomatic norms and international laws” by the attack on April 2 on the Iranian consulate in Syria, in which 12 people were killed.

“In response to which the Islamic Republic of Iran exercised its legitimate right to self-defense last night,” the statement said.

It accused Israel of trying to “divert world attention away from the genocide of over 33,000 civilians in Gaza by violating the airspace of sovereign states and provocations aimed at broadening regional insecurity.”

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on all influential world and regional states to expedite their efforts of halting the crimes of the Zionist regime in order to prevent further escalation of the crisis,” the statement concluded.