Israel-Iran latest: US says embassy in Tel Aviv damaged by Iranian missiles while Haifa power plant ‘on fire’

Iran’s retaliation to Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities is “self defence” and a “matter of principle”, the Iranian ambassador to the UK has said.

The “barbaric Israeli regime” is “violating international law”, Seyed Ali Mousavi told Sky News’ Yalda Hakim. He added that Israel’s actions were an “act of aggression against the Iranian people”.

More than 20 people have been killed by Iranian strikes on Israel, according to Israelin tallies.

“It is a matter of principle,” Mr Mousavi said. “This is about self-defence, there is no doubt about it.

“We are a responsible member state of the UN and we do all activities according to our international obligations.

“Any activities are only in the framework of self-defence.”

Four Israeli companies have had their stands shut down by the organisers of Paris Air Show, an official at the Israeli Ministry of Defence has said.

French authorities made the decision after Israeli firms failed to comply with instructions to remove offensive or kinetic weapons from the stands, a source said.

The air show, which claims to be the largest of its kind in the world and begins today (Monday), is a trade fair held in odd years at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport in France.

A spokesperson for Gifas, the show’s organiser, said some stands were closed, but declined to comment further.

Iran has executed a man who was found guilty of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday, identifying the man as Esmail Fekri.

The execution is the third in recent weeks related to the conducting of espionage on behalf of Israel.

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said on Monday the residents of Tehran will “pay the price and soon”.

His comments came after the Iranian military fired missiles which struck Tel Aviv and Haifa before dawn, killing at least eight people.

The Israeli army has said the death toll from Iranian attacks overnight on Sunday has risen to eight, according to the Israeli military.

We earlier reported that at least 5 people had been killed, bringing Israel’s death toll to at least 18 since Friday. That toll is now at 21.

At least 100 more were wounded in the overnight strikes, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel’s pre-emptive strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The deaths mounted today after Iranian missiles struck Israel’s Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn, destroying homes and creating widespread panic in the region.

It comes as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hail the “new methods” they are using in aerial warfare against Israel to ensure it can breach Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.

Several residential buildings in a densely populated neighbourhood of Tel Aviv were destroyed in a strike that blew out the windows of hotels and other nearby homes just a few hundred metres from the US embassy branch in the city.

The US ambassador to Israel said the building sustained minor damage, but no personnel were injured.

The embassy in Israel and the consulate will official remain closed today as shelter alert is still in effect, Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said its latest attack in the early hours today on Israel employed a new method that caused its neighbour’s multi-layered defence systems to target each other.

“The initiatives and capabilities used in this operation, despite the comprehensive support of the United States and Western powers and the possession of the most up-to-date and newest defence technology, led to the successful and maximum hitting of the missiles on the targets in the occupied territories,” it said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. Israeli officials have repeatedly said its “Iron Dome” defence system is not 100 per cent and warned of tough days ahead.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military said this morning it had struck again at command centres belonging to the Revolutionary Guard and Iran’s military.

The death toll in Iran had reached at least 224, with 90 per cent of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said.

Israel defence minister Israel Katz has warned that the residents of Tehran will “pay the price and soon”, after Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn.

At least 5 people were killed in the latest Iranian strikes, national emergency service said, bringing Israel’s death toll to at least 18 since Friday.

At least 100 more were wounded in the overnight strikes, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel’s pre-emptive strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Video footage showed several missiles over Tel Aviv and explosions could be heard there and over Jerusalem.