Israel is deciding its next steps after Iran’s retaliatory attack as fears grow of a wider war in the Middle East.
What to know
- Israel is weighing its next steps after Iran’s retaliatory attack over the weekend, with an Israeli official telling NBC News that the country will respond but that no final decision has been made on the scale or timing of that response. The country’s war Cabinet will convene today after an hourslong meeting last night.
- The two countries clashed at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, with Tehran insisting it does not seek further escalation after launching the barrage of 300 drones and missiles, but warning of more “decisive” strikes in retaliation to any Israeli counterattack.
- U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said it was time to “step back from the brink” as a chorus of world leaders urged restraint. President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against launching new strikes on Iran, and said that the U.S. would not participate in any offensive actions against Iran, but has privately said he fears that Netanyahu is trying to drag the U.S. into a wider conflict, officials told NBC News.
Ukraine condemns Iran attack and says it needs help like Israel
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel and said his country needed help from its allies to fend off threats from the air, just as Israel did.
Zelenskyy again called on the U.S. Congress to approve a vital aid package that has been blocked for months by political wrangling. Ukraine’s forces are facing new onslaughts from Russian troops in the east and daily attacks on cities and infrastructure from Russian missiles and drones, many supplied by Tehran
