Middle East latest: Putin holds call with Iranian president amid escalation fears; Israel 'unhappy' with China's response to Iran attack | World News | Sky News

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Vladimir Putin calls for restraint during a call with Iran's president, amid fears of an escalation in hostilities. Meanwhile, an Israeli official says the country is "unhappy" with China's response to Iran's attack. Listen to a Daily episode on Iran as you scroll.

Tuesday 16 April 2024 14:38, UK

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14:38:01 Israeli tanks push back into northern Gaza, residents say

Israeli tanks have moved back into areas of northern Gaza they left weeks ago, residents have told Reuters.

People who had returned to the area of Beit Hanoun, once home to 60,000 people, fled once more as the raid began, they said.

One resident told Reuters that tanks surrounded schools and houses and ordered families to evacuate before detaining "many men".

In the south, warplanes conducted air strikes on Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of people are taking refuge, killing four people and wounding several others, medics and residents said.

The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in central Gaza and that they had killed several gunmen who attempted to attack them.

"Furthermore, over the past day, IDF fighter jets and aircraft destroyed a missile launcher along with dozens of terrorist infrastructure, terror tunnels, and military compounds where armed Hamas terrorists were located," it added.

Sky News cannot independently verify these reports.

14:19:26 In pictures: Ballistic missile retrieved from Dead Sea

Pictures taken by Reuters photographers on the ground in Israel show a ballistic missile on the shore of the Dead Sea.

Israel's military said it was one of the 120 fired by Iran on Saturday.

13:55:27 Putin asks for restraint in call with Iranian president

Vladimir Putin has told the president of Iran he hoped all parties in the Middle East would show restraint and not allow further confrontation, according to Russian state media.

In a phone call with Ebrahim Raisi, Mr Putin discussed in detail the suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria on 1 April, reported RIA Novosti, citing the Kremlin.

Mr Raisi said Iran's retaliatory missile and drone attack against Israel on Saturday was "forced and limited" and emphasised he had no interest in further escalation, the report said.

Russia and Iran are close allies, with the latter an avowed enemy of the US and a supplier of military hardware for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The phone call comes amid fears that any further military escalation between Israel and Iran - especially any involving the US - could draw Russia into a wider conflict.

13:37:21 Israel 'unhappy' with China's response to Iran attacks

Early this morning we reported that while the West strongly condemned Iran's attack on Israel, China took a different approach.

Foreign minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that China appreciated Iran's emphasis on not targeting regional and neighbouring countries, and that Beijing believed Iran could "handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil".

Now reports suggest Israel is disappointed with China's response to Saturday's attack, when Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones.

"We were hoping for stronger condemnation and clear acknowledgment of Israel's right to defend itself," said Yuval Waks, the deputy chief of the Israeli mission in China, according to the The South China Morning Post.

"Unfortunately, we did not see that, which is why we were unhappy with the statement," he said.

He said Israel was aware of the "good bilateral relations" between China and Iran, but Israel needed to express its "grave concerns to the Chinese regarding Iran's negative role in our region and its support of terror groups".

13:00:58 Analysis: Israeli government split between hitting Iran hard and maintaining allies' support

The Israeli government is split between those who want to hit Iran hard and those who do not want to waste the international community's support, says military analyst Michael Clarke.

The Israeli foreign minister has already been on the diplomatic offensive, urging 32 nations to enact sanctions against Iran.

Clarke said the external world was leaning on Israel "very hard", attempting to leverage the amount of help Israel received from allies in defending against Iran's attack, and the number of ballistic missiles that malfunctioned, to urge Israel to exercise restraint.

"What the external world is saying to Israel is 'look, you were lucky, and you had our help, now don't spoil it by being so aggressive that we think twice about giving you that help again and you might not be so lucky the second time'", said Clarke.

12:44:12 Netanyahu seeks to draw attention away from Gaza by escalating with Iran, says Jordan

Jordan has accused Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to draw attention away from Gaza by escalating the confrontation with Iran.

Foreign minister Ayman Safadi said the international community should stop the Israeli prime minister from "stealing" attention away from Gaza.

He said Iran had responded to the attack against its consulate and had announced that it "did not want to escalate further".

"We are against escalating. Netanyahu wants to draw attention away from Gaza and focus on his confrontation with Iran," Mr Safadi added.

12:27:32 Germany foreign minister travelling to Israel today to urge de-escalation

Germany's foreign minister will travel to Israel today for discussions on how to prevent an escalation of tensions in the region following Iran's attack over the weekend.

"It is incredibly important for us as the German federal government in these fragile times that we all work together to contribute to de-escalation for the entire region," Annalena Baerbock said at a news conference in Berlin with her Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi.

12:00:01 Almost 34,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza, health ministry says

At least 33,843 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive since 7 October, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says.

Another 76,575 people have been wounded, the ministry added.

The updated figures come after 46 Palestinians were killed and 110 injured in the past 24 hours, it said.

The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its reports, but says most of those killed are women and children.

11:40:29 War cabinet meeting today to discuss Iran response

Israel's war cabinet will meet today to discuss its response to the Iranian attack, an Israeli officials has told Reuters.

No time has yet been set for the meeting, they said.

It will be the third time that the decision-making cabinet convenes since Saturday.

Foreign minister Israel Katz said earlier there will be a military response and a "diplomatic offensive".

The latter refers Israel's calls for allies to proscribe the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation and to impose sanctions.

France, Germany, the UK, Russia, the US and the UN have called for military restraint.

11:30:20 US could issue fresh sanctions against Iran

The US could issue fresh sanctions against Iran in response to its attack on Israel, according to Axios.

Treasury secretary Janet Yellen will say the US will "not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority", Axios reported, citing a copy of her remarks.

"The attack by Iran and its proxies underscores the importance of the treasury's work to use our economic tools to counter Iran's malign activity," she will say.

Israel has been lobbying its allies to issue sanctions since Saturday's attack, in particular those that would target Iran's missile capabilities.