live from london, this is bbc news. iran gives its first response to israel's bombardment overnight saying it's "obligated" to defend itself, but recognises its "responsibilities towards regional peace" and security. iran denies serious damage but two of its soldiers were killed. growing calls for de—escalation are pouring in from around the world. egypt, qatar, the us and the uk among countries encouraging iran to show restraint and break the cycle of violence.

iran should not respond. we will continue to work with allies to de—escalate the situation across the region. hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones. welcome to the programme. to the multiple air strikes israel launched at the country overnight, saying it's "entitled and obligated to defend itself against external aggressive acts", but it "recognises its responsibilities towards regional peace and security". this is the moment israel struck. israeli missiles could be seen and heard heading over the iranian capital.

the israeli government released these pictures of prime minister benjamin netanyahu and defence minister yoav gallant following the strikes from the operation room at the israel's defense ministry in tel aviv. earlier the idf spokesman daniel hagari made this statement about

the air strikes. the israel defense forces have fulfilled its mission. if the regime in iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we would be obligated to respond. our message is clear: all those who threat in the state who threaten the state of israel and seek to drag the region into wider escalation will pay a heavy price. we demonstrated today that we have both the capability and the resolve to act decisively, and we are prepared on offence and defence to defend the state of israel and the people of israel. let's cross live now tojerusalem and speak to our middle east correspondent yolande knell. just talk us through a little bit more about what we have been hearing from the israelis.

the news of this came in the early hours of the morning with reports of explosions around tehran. very quickly the israeli military said that it had begun its retaliation against iran for that big strike at the start of this month when 180 ballistic missiles were launched at israel. everybody in the country was basically told at that point to take shelter in air raid shelters during the attack, although there was only one person who was killed and he was in the occupied west bank. 0ver he was in the occupied west bank. over the course of several hours it seems that the israeli military carried out these strikes in various locations across the country, it says, claiming it used dozens of its fighterjets and that really it went after military sites. this is crucially important because of course there had been warnings

from the us, israel's closest ally, not to go after the more sensitive oil production sites or indeed nuclear sites in iran, with realfears that or indeed nuclear sites in iran, with real fears that if israel did do that, that could really trigger a full—blown regional war. then we had the announcement early this morning from the israelis that their mission had been completed. they said all of their fighter jets had returned safely to their bases. and the warning came really to iran not to launch a counter retaliation. we had the iranians coming out quite quickly, claiming that their air defences had worked successfully and also saying that there had been, what they described as limited damage to some sites and saying that these two soldiers had been killed as well. in these two soldiers had been killed as well.— killed as well. in the region there has — killed as well. in the region there has been _ killed as well. in the region there has been plenty - killed as well. in the region there has been plenty of. there has been plenty of international reaction. across the middle east some countries

condemning israel's action. that is correct from the likes of saudi arabia, thejordanians making clear that their airspace wasn't used. they are in a delicate position in neighbouring israel and they were involved in formally shooting down some of the missiles that iran fired this way and the two major attacks it has launched on israel this year. as the year—long shadow war between these two countries has really turned to the first time into these direct confrontations against the backdrop of the war going on in gaza, the 7th of october attacks carried out by hamas in gaza last year. hamas has of course had backing from the ingredients in the past. 0ther iranians proxies, hezbollah and lebanon have also carried out attacks on israel in this time. so when israel launched this

attack this morning in the early hours of the morning, it was said by the israeli military this was really in response to continuous attacks by iran and its proxies.- by iran and its proxies. thank ou by iran and its proxies. thank you very _ by iran and its proxies. thank you very much _ by iran and its proxies. thank you very much for _ by iran and its proxies. thank you very much for that. - by iran and its proxies. thank. you very much for that. yolande kneu you very much for that. yolande knell talking about international reactions in some countries in the middle east talking about strikes. many countries urging iran not to retaliate for latest strikes. we heard earlierfrom prime minister keir starmer and he warned iran against responding to the latest strikes. i am clear that israel has the right to defend itself against iranian aggression. i am equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. iran should not respond. we will continue to work

with allies to de—escalate the situation across the region. that was keir starmer, uk prime minister speaking a couple of hours ago. let's just remind you of some of the areas targeted by israel. iran's state media says the iranian air defense command issued a statement — saying that israeli airstrikes against military centres in tehran, the western province of ilam, and the southwestern province of khuzestan have been intercepted and countered successfully. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner told me more about the intended targets. i think it is fair to assume that everything the israelis wanted to hit, they will have hit. they have got very precise intelligence, both from inside the country and from satellite data and from signals intelligence intercepts. they will have known exactly what they wanted to hit and that was from a range of targets.

it is a fairly limited list and they have gone for essentially two things — iran's air defences, which clears the way for any future attack, should they decide to escalate this further, or particularly if there is an iranian response in the meantime. and secondly they have gone for missile production facilities — the very factories that produce the kind of missiles that hit israel on october the 1st. it was a relatively calibrated, restrained — relatively restrained — notwithstanding the fact that countries in the region and many of them are condemning this as dangerous escalation and a violation of iran's sovereignty. what do you make of iran's defences? we have been seeing pictures overnight, seemingly showing iranian air defences intercepting, certainly some israeli missiles over the skyline. what is your assessment of

the state of iran's defences? they are certainly not 100% and nor of course are israel's. as we saw on october the 1st that this was always the fear in israel that iran has such a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles that, should it decide to do a massed attack exactly as it did on october the 1st, that some of them would get through, as indeed they did. so it's too early to say exactly what the so—called bomb damage assessment is here. but certainly some things were hit and some things got intercepted. i don't know the exact numbers yet but there is a degree of presentation about this. i am not going to call it theatre but there is a degree of public perception that is incredibly important here for both sides. they both need to look tough and try to act as a deterrent to the other.

iran has a vested interest in telling its population, "don't worry, we repelled the aggressor. "they were sent packing, we have a strong country "and nothing can hurt us, nothing to fear here," which of course iranians are very concerned about a future escalation into a war. and as far as israel is concerned they are flinging their weight around the region — currently fighting a war in lebanon, in gaza — at least that is how it is perceived — and now in iran, determined to take out their enemies, and to weaken, if not destroy, iran's so—called axis of resistance which is leading to a lot of attacks on israel. meanwhile, let's not forget, behind all of this, as well as the gaza war raging, there is a lot of conflict happening in the west bank. we don't see or hear quite so much of it internationally but it's a deeply unhappy place where illegal settlements

are still continuing and settlers are trying to oust palestinian families that have lived there for generations. and that has really been lost in the bigger conflicts that are happening around the region. and just staying in the region, i just want to get your thoughts on some of the responses. egypt says it is deeply concerned with escalation. qatar expresses its strong condemnation. saudi arabia also condemns the strikes. what have you made of that? some of these countries don't much care for the islamic republic regime at all. but nevertheless they are nervous about any iranian retaliation to this. if you cast your mind back about five years — i don't know if you remember, there was a pretty serious drone and missile strike on saudi arabia's oil or petrochemical facilities

in eastern saudi arabia and this was launched by an iranian—backed iraqi militia. nothing to do with the iraqi government, but it was basically a warning by iran to saudi arabia that it could hit saudi facilities if and when it chose. it was nominally blamed on the houthis but i went to the site and all the holes in the petrochemical facilities, they're all facing north. and that was a bit of a wake—up call, notjust to saudi arabia but to the gulf states, as to just how vulnerable they are to a missile and drone attack from iran. and they realise they have got to live with their big neighbour. they may not agree with it idealogically. they don't like the actions of the iranian revolutionary guards corps, but they have to deal with it and they need peace in the region, not escalation. thank you to frank, speaking to

me a little earlier. thank you to frank, speaking to me a little earlier. with me is parham ghobadi from bbc persian. we are going to talk a little bit about what we have had been hearing from authorities but festival details on the soldiers that were killed. the iranian army _ soldiers that were killed. tue: iranian army issued soldiers that were killed. tte: iranian army issued a soldiers that were killed. tt2 iranian army issued a statement that said two of its soldiers, officers, were killed. we know one of them was killed in the south—western port in iran, which is in khuzestan province. he was working for the anti—air defence missile system. the other one was, it apparently appears he was also working for the anti—air defence system but we don't know where exactly he was killed. what is important here is both these officers were members of these iranian army are not the revolutionary guard. iran has two paramilitary forces. the iranian revolutionary guards is

the infamous man inside and outside the country because it is involved in operations in extraterritorial operations such as in iran, in lebanon and elsewhere, and inside the country it is blamed for the crackdown of the protests inside the country. so that is why some iranians are dismayed that the two officers were killed where because the iranian army was not even part of that barrage of attacks against israel and they were just members of the iranian army. just members of the iranian arm . �* . just members of the iranian arm . ~ ., ., ., army. and what have we heard in terms of response, _ army. and what have we heard in terms of response, more - terms of response, more broadly, from iran? iranian state tv — broadly, from iran? iranian state tv they _ broadly, from iran? iranian state tv they are _ broadly, from iran? iranian state tv they are trying - broadly, from iran? iranian state tv they are trying to | state tv they are trying to play down and are trying to claim victory in the attack. they are saying that defence missile system acted perfectly, defended the country. there were damages but the damages were damages but the damages

were minimal and limited. they said there were three provinces affected, as you mentioned earlier. tehran, ilam in the west and khuzestan in the south—western part. but they are interviewing people on the street saying how happy they are but that cannot be trusted because many people last night messaged me personally, my colleagues, and they were saying they were extremely worried those who woke up to the sounds of explosions, this is not usual. the last time something like that happened in iran but that was when i was a child and i am 42 now. after all these years, after three decades, i think it is the first time iranians woke up to the sounds of explosions in tehran and in different parts it started from the western part of tehran. that was the first wave of the attack and thenit first wave of the attack and then it spread out to the east and when the pictures appeared on social media the eastern part, most of the pictures and videos belong to the eastern

part of iran where anti—air defence system was activated. could you do as a favour. we are just could you do as a favour. we arejust going to could you do as a favour. we are just going to watch the pictures that have just come in now. the element that is from the eastern part. these are missiles potentially being intercepted. the flashes in the sky effectively a defence system is firing at israeli missiles. we have some other footage. this is the first time we have seen this. this is showing the aftermath of an air strike. this isjust south showing the aftermath of an air strike. this is just south of tehran. the location is thought to be a factory they said probably related to the manufacture of drone parts. just talk us through the significance of that. iranians, like most _ significance of that. iranians, like most of _ significance of that. iranians, like most of the _ significance of that. iranians, like most of the military - significance of that. iranians, like most of the military and | like most of the military and arms in the world, they do not acknowledge immediately the damages that were targeted. 0ne damages that were targeted. one example of that as the previous round of attack, the first time that iran attacked israel with a barrage of ballistic, cruise

and drone missiles. after israel retaliated iran said there were some tiny drones that targeted a factory and if i'm not mistaken, a military base. just three orfour i'm not mistaken, a military base. just three or four days ago former head of iran's revolutionary guard revealed that those were not drones and if what he said were true they were ballistic missiles, which is a huge difference from tiny drones to ballistic missiles was not whatever it is, the fact is that, a few years ago it was unimaginable that this level of escalation between the two countries. injust level of escalation between the two countries. in just the past few months iran has attacked israel twice with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, and israel has, regardless of the damage has inflicted on iran, it has targeted iran openly and has admitted, and just remember that israel usually does neither admit nor deny it attacks. this is the first time israel has openly said it has carried out an attack against iran. that is what worries many

people, that this may spiral out of control and turn into a full—blown war. out of control and turn into a full-blown war.— out of control and turn into a full- blown war. full-blown war. thank you very much for _ full-blown war. thank you very much for that. _ earlier i spoke to former british ambassador to iran — sir richard dalton. i asked him for his reaction to the strikes, and his thoughts on what might happen next. there is a good chance, i believe, now, that we can draw a line under this exchange of violence between israel and iran. of course, it's worth pointing out that we would not be where we are, worrying about the possibility of further escalation, if israel had not assassinated hamas' leader and prime negotiator for a ceasefire in gaza, in a blatant act of aggression against iran in tehran. that's what provoked the israeli, the iranian attack on israel. and now israel's response.

but israel has been has been pointing out that its response is, in fact, over a continuous series of attacks by iran and its proxies over the last year, pointing presumably to hamas and to hezbollah. yes, but this was an attack on iran. and iran has not attacked israel other than in response to acts by israel. so there's no point in looking for first causes. if necessary, we can go back to the abandonment by britain of the principle of self—determination for colonial peoples, when it assisted the zionist movement to gain control of two thirds of historic palestine through colonisation and war in 19118.

but it doesn't serve any purpose now to recall that, other than to remind the british government that its framing of this matter, most recently by mr starmer�*s statement in the margins of the commonwealth meeting, is wholly one—sided and is not contributing to his declared aim of seeking de—escalation. it's time, as doctor mekelberg said, for countries like the uk, european countries, to point out that, as president macron did, israel is sowing barbarism. it's not conducting a war for civilisation, as israel likes to claim. this is the opportunity now for a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts to spare further civilian suffering. that will still leave the underlying palestinian

question to be resolved, and it will still leave religiously—inspired resistance to israel intact. so even if israel continues this war, it is not going to achieve its objective of eliminating the palestinian right to self—determination and a state. what about the chances, then, of a ceasefire at this moment? well, they don't look good. the hamas leadership has been considerably weakened with the killing of leading figures. we don't know how able they are to take strategic decisions. moreover, the war party is still prevalent in israel. there are many who say that the aim of depopulating northern gaza to create an extensive buffer zone is actually under way,

and there's no sign yet that the military are willing to pull back from its campaign in lebanon. and the united states is not prepared to use the leverage that it possesses to support its declared aim of de—escalation and peace. and just within iran itself, clearly we touched a little on the different factions and the different pressures that will be coming to bear. what do you make of the strength of the various factions and how their voices will be heard or not when it comes to the scale or any response at all? iran's retaliation decisions are taken by the supreme leader, who is a cautious man. his prime aim is the survival of the islamic regime and the defence of iran's sovereignty and independence.

i doubt whether he will see it as in the interests of iran, to listen to those voices in iran who might call for further fighting directly against israel. 0ur our thanks and there. that was