US warning as Israel weighs up response to Iran's attack

Washington says it will not take part in any counter-offensive

- Bethan McKernan 

Israel is weighing up its response to Iran's unprecedented missile and drone assault on its territory, signalling last night that it would not immediately act alone, but insisting its leadership had approved both "offensive and defensive action".

Washington said it would not take part in any Israeli counter-offensive against Tehran, whose large-scale attack on Saturday night involved about 300 missiles and drones, almost all of which were intercepted before they could land in Israel.

Two members of Israel's three-man war cabinet made statements suggesting they were taking a longer-term view of the response to Iran's first-ever direct attack on Israeli soil.

But the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had not declared a formal decision by late yesterday.

US officials said the salvo, which included more than 100 ballistic missiles, could have been catastrophically destructive had they not been intercepted, and would have made a regional war much more likely.

The Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said the successful interception against the attack by the country's air force and several allies was an opportunity for a new "strategic alliance" against Iran.

Gallant's remarks followed a statement from Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's wartime unity government, who said: "[Israel] will build a regional coalition and exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us."

However, R Adm Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, added later yesterday: "Over the last few hours we approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action."