The big picture: What you need to know about Middle East crisis as we enter new week
The last week was spent anticipating an Israeli response to Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel on 13 April.
And then it came on Friday when an airbase near the Iranian city of Isfahan – known for its role in Iran’s nuclear research – was hit.
Israel hasn’t commented on the strike but the US informed a G7 meeting that Israel had told it about the attack “at the last minute”.
The strike appears to have been limited and symbolic in nature to send a warning rather than ignite a bigger confrontation, according to our international correspondent Alex Rossi…
Israeli drones used in attack ‘more like toys’ – Iran
Iran dismissed the danger of the drones used by Israel.
The country’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian claimed they took off from within Iran and only flew a few hundred metres before being shot down.
“It has not been proved to us that there is a connection between these and Israel,” Mr Amir-Abdollahian told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
The foreign minister said they were “more like toys that our children play with” than a serious threat, as he sought to play down the Israeli action.
Iran also referred to it as an “infiltration” rather than a serious “external attack”.
However, our military analyst Professor Michael Clarke said it appeared likely ballistic missiles were used in the attack – and that both sides were trying to “save face”.
Incursion into Rafah ‘not far away’ after deadly strikes
While the latest flare-up in the wider Middle East appears to have died down for now, Israel is still locked in conflict closer to home, Alex Rossi says.
The indication is that Israel’s long-anticipated incursion into the southern city of Rafah may not be far away and US officials met their Israeli counterparts last week to discuss the imminent incursion.
The White House has consistently warned the Israelis against a wholesale ground offensive on the city.
Yesterday, we reported here how children had been killed in airstrikes on the area, according to Palestinian health officials.
At least 22 people were killed, including 18 children, health officials said.
Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.
An airstrike in Rafah the night before killed nine people, including six children.
Israeli raid in West Bank at weekend
Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians during an extended raid in the West Bank over the weekend, according to Palestinian authorities, marking one of the heaviest casualty totals in the region for months.
The raid on the Nur Shams area, near the flashpoint city of Tulkarm, began early on Friday and continued on Saturday.
Deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank increased sharply over the last week, following the killing of 14-year-old Israeli shepherd Binyamin Ahimeir.
After the boy’s body was found, Israeli authorities warned against revenge attacks.
But despite this, Israeli human rights group Yesh Din said attacks of an “unprecedented scale” followed, targeting Palestinians in the West Bank.
Among those killed were 30-year-old Abdul Rahman Bani Fadel and 21-year-old Mohammad Bani Jamea, who were shot dead during an attack by dozens of settlers near the town of Aqraba.
The IDF also said its forces had killed a 17-year-old during a raid in Nablus.
US Congress approves aid package for Israel
The US House of Representatives approved a $26bn package aiding Israel and providing humanitarian relief to people in Gaza.
The package will now go to the US Senate, where it is likely to be passed on Tuesday.
US politicians also approved vital extra funds for Ukraine.
Hezbollah commander killed
Away from the situation with Iran, Israel is still facing problems on its northern border with Lebanon.
But it claimed a victory last Tuesday with the killing of the commander of Hezbollah’s coastal sector, Ismail Yusaf Baz.
The IDF said it had “eliminated” the commander in a strike in the Ain Ebel area.
Situation in Gaza remains perilous
The situation in Gaza remains perilous, with hundreds of thousands of people still displaced, Israeli airstrikes continuing to kill Palestinians, and Israel facing accusations it is still not doing enough to get aid through.
The UN human rights office said Israel is still imposing “unlawful” restrictions on humanitarian aid for Gaza and that it remains far below bare minimum levels.
The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Listen to the Sky News Daily podcast
On this edition of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by military analyst Sean Bell to find out what exactly happened in Israel’s attack on Iran, and what it says about their respective military strengths.
Plus, Niall is joined by Sky’s international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn to analyse where this leaves tensions in the Middle East.
