Israel's War on Gaza Live: Israel pounds Rafah in overnight strikes

China's foreign ministry said it is "deeply concerned" about the situation in the Middle East following Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel.

The foreign ministry said that "quelling the conflict is top priority" for Beijing, adding that the escalation between Israel and Iran is a result of Israel's war on Gaza.

"China calls on relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalation of tensions," the ministry said.

The US military shot down dozens of Iranian missiles bound for Israel, three US officials have told Reuters.

The US military involvement against Iran has raised questions about to what extent the Biden administration is allowed to use military force without the approval of Congress.

The New York Times reported, citing two Israeli officials, that Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel consisted of 185 drones and 36 cruise missiles.

Most were launched from Iran, and a small portion were launched from Iraq and Yemen.

In a statement released by the White House, US President Joe Biden said that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Washington has an "ironclad commitment to the security of Israel".

He added that he condemns Iran's retaliatory strikes on Iran "in the strongest possible terms".

The US president said that on Sunday, he would convene leaders of the G7 countries to coordinate a diplomatic response to the attacks.

"While we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people," he said.

NBC has reported that several senior US officials are concerned Israel could respond to Iran's retaliatory attacks without thinking through the potential consequences.

Citing three people familiar with the matter, NBC reported that President Biden privately expressed concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to drag the US into a broader conflict in the Middle East.

One senior administration official told the news network that the White House believes Israel is not looking for a wider conflict, but Washington cannot be certain.

“I don’t think they had a strategy,” one senior administration official said about the air strike on the Iranian consulate building earlier this month. “The Israelis don’t always make the best strategic decisions.”

According to reporting from CNN, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant to give Washington advanced notice if Israel plans to launch an attack on Iran.

Gallant posted on X that he had spoken with Austin over the phone, saying that the two discussed Israel's military operations.

Hours after Iran's mission to the United Nations announced on X that its retaliatory strikes were concluded, the mission shared a letter in which it stated its actions against Israel were within the parameters of Article 51 of the UN Charter, which deals with the right to self-defence.

"This action was in the exercise of Iran's inherent right to self-defense as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and in response to the Israeli recurring military aggressions."

Iran's attack on Israel comes in response to an air strike that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed three top Iranian commanders. Israel did not publicly take credit for the air strike, however, four Israeli officials confirmed to the New York Times that Israel was behind the strikes.

Tehran also blamed the United Nations Security Council, saying that the council did not move to condemn the attack and work to de-escalate.

According to Article 51, "nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations".

US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Saturday night, according to the White House.

The White House said it would provide a summary of the conversation.

Hundreds of Iranians poured onto the streets outside the British Embassy in Tehran on Sunday to celebrate drone and missile attacks against Israel.

Many of the protesters could be seen waving Palestinian and Iranian flags.

An Israeli military agency has said Israelis don't need to stay near bomb shelters, indicating that Iranian missile attacks are over for now.

However, the Israeli army's Home Front Command said restrictions on gatherings and the cancellation of educational activities remained in force.

Israeli media reported that rocket sirens sounded in the occupied Golan Heights, and it was unclear whether the alerts were triggered by incoming fire from Lebanon or Iran.

The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau straddling Israel and Syria and overlooking southern Lebanon. It was captured by Israel during the Middle East war of 1967 and subsequently annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has expressed "deep concern" regarding military escalations in the region and urged all parties to exercise "maximum restraint and to protect the region and its people from the dangers of war."

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at 20:00 GMT on Sunday, Malta, the current President of the Security Council, has said.

The meeting was scheduled shortly after a formal request from Israel's UN envoy for an emergency meeting on Iran’s drone strikes against Israel.

This video appears to show Israeli air defense interceptors in the skies above Jerusalem's Golden Dome of the Rock.

A military base in Israel was slightly damaged by Iranian aerial attacks, an Israeli military spokesperson has said.

Daniel Hagari said one of the missiles caused "slight damage to infrastructure" at a military base, while one missile led to the injury of a young girl in the Negev.

Hagari said that most of the missiles were intercepted by the long-range Arrow air defense system and most were downed outside of Israeli airspace.