We'll hit back in seconds..

Iran threat as Israel weighs revenge options 

- CHRIS HUGHES and LIZZY BUCHAN

PM calls for calm in wake of missile attacks

IRAN has threatened to hit back "within seconds" if it comes under fire from Israel, amid fears of a wider conflict breaking out.

Israel's war cabinet met for a fourth time over the crisis yesterday, thrashing out plans to avenge Iran's weekend missile and drone onslaught.

Tehran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, said Israel will face a "resolute and hard response" if it goes ahead with another attack.

Referring to the delay before his country's response to Israel's April 1 Syria airstrike, which killed two of Tehran's key generals among 13 dead, he said: "There will not be a 12 or 13 day gap between a Zionist regime move and Iran's powerful response anymore.

"The Zionists must now reckon in seconds, not hours." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to let "calm heads prevail".

A Downing Street spokesman said: "He reiterated the UK's steadfast support for Israel's security and for wider regional stability.