Israel Iran News Highlights: Not looking to escalate regional tensions, but must ‘punish’ Israel says Iran

Israel Iran News LIVE: US President Joe Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah met on Monday to discuss efforts to de-escalate Middle Eastern tensions, according to the White House. This meeting followed Iran's vow to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran.

Israel Iran News LIVE: Jordan has instructed all airlines landing at its airports to carry an additional 45 minutes of fuel as a precaution against potential Iranian attacks on Israel.

Israel Iran News LIVE: US President Joe Biden is set to hold emergency talks with his national security team today amid growing concerns of a potential Iranian retaliation against Israel following the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran.

Israel Iran News LIVE: Diplomatic efforts intensified to prevent an escalation between Iran and Israel after high-profile killings heightened regional tensions, prompting multiple governments to advise their citizens to leave Lebanon.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Iran for talks with the country's top leadership. Iranian news agencies also reported the planned meetings to discuss regional and international issues.

Moscow and Tehran have forged closer ties since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Iran supplying drones to aid Putin’s military.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for an urgent de-escalation in the Middle East over fears that the war could spread.

"I am deeply worried about the rising risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East and plead with all parties, along with those states with influence, to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation," said Turk in a statement.

Israel Defence Forces confirmed that it killed Hamas minister Abed Al-Zeriei in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Al-Zeriei, who was the economy minister, is also accused by Israel of being an operative in the military wing's manufacturing department.

"He had a significant role in directing Hamas' efforts to seize control of humanitarian aid entering Gaza and in managing Hamas-controlled market," the IDF posted on X.

Additionally, IDF said "he was responsible for the distribution of fuel, gas and funds for terrorist purposes."

Israel Iran News LIVE: The Gaza health ministry has reported that since October 7, Israel's military offensive on Gaza has resulted in 39,623 Palestinian deaths and 91,469 injuries.

Israel Iran News LIVE: Iran declared on Monday that it has the ‘legal right’ to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, which is attributed to Israel amid the ongoing Gaza war.

Israel Iran News LIVE: Israeli forces have detained at least 25 Palestinians including two children in the occupied West Bank from yesterday evening.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday said that the international community has failed to safeguard stability in the region, as he called the United States to stop supporting Israel.

Terming that a response from Iran was inevitable, the official added that only way to establish regional stability is by punishing the aggressor (Israel) and creating deterrence against adventurism in future.

Lebanon's health ministry said that two people were killed in an Israeli strike on the country's south, a place where Iran backed militant group Hezbollah has been trading near-daily fire with Israel, since the start of Gaza war.

"The enemy raid that took place near the (Mais Al-Jabal) town's cemetery killed two people," Lebanon's health ministry said in a statement.

Group of Seven (G7) western democracies have urged restraint and de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, expressing concern that recent events "threatened to ignite a broader conflict in the region."

In a statement, it urged “all involved parties once again to refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, to lower tensions and engage constructively toward de-escalation.”

A drone attack launched by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah early on Monday wounded two Israeli soldiers and set off a fire.

The group said it targeted a military base in response to “attacks and assassinations” carried out by Israel in several villages in south Lebanon.

Turkey in its latest advisory issued late on Sunday urged its citizens to leave Lebanon due to heightened security risks and a possibility that the security situation will deteriorate rapidly.

"Those who do not need to stay in Lebanon should leave Lebanon while commercial flights are still operating, if possible," the foreign ministry statement said.

US President Joe Biden will meet his national security team to discuss the security situation in the Middle East and also speak with Jordan's King Abdullah as well. Biden had expressed hope that Iran would stand down despite its threat to avenge Hamas leader IsmaiHaniyeh's killing.

The US has described the additional military deployment to the region as a ‘defensive’ measure with an aim to de-escalate tensions.

A missile attack by Houthi rebels struck a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden on Saturday. This is the first assault by the group after a two-week pause, for which it offered no explanation.

The attacks have resumed after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, amid renewed concerns over the war breaking out into a regional conflict.

Revealing more details on how Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed, The New York Times report found that an explosive device was smuggled into a high-profile guest house highly guarded by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The NYT based its investigation on accounts by seven West Asian officials, including two Iranians, and an American official.

However, the IRGC Al Quds deputy commander stressed that the killing of Haniyeh was not a result of the activities of Iranian agents.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force has denied reports which indicate that its officers were used to kill Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee told state media quoting an officer in IRGC that assassination of Haniyeh was "not the result of infiltration", and that appropriate measures are underway.

Middle East Crisis LIVE updates: Urgent calls grew for foreign nationals to leave Lebanon, which would be on the front line of a regional war, as Iran and its allies readied their response to high-profile killings blamed on Israel.

Middle East Crisis LIVE updates: -The US is deploying additional military might in the Middle East as a defensive measure with a goal of “de-escalating tensions” in the region, a White House official said, reported Reuters.

Middle East Crisis LIVE updates: Tensions in the Middle East have been soaring as Iran and its allies readied their response to the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and a key commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in Beirut, blamed on Israel, spurring fears of a regional war.