By Lyndal Rowlands and Zaheena Rasheed

    The US ruled out joining any Israeli counterattack against Iran, officials said, as Israel’s war cabinet concluded a meeting reportedly without a decision on what action to take in response to Tehran’s first direct attack against the country.

    Israeli forces again bombed the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing five and wounding dozens as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met to discuss Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for de-escalation at the UNSC and said the world could not afford another war in the Middle East.

    At least 33,729 Palestinians have been killed and 76,371 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139, with dozens of people still held captive.

    Israeli forces arrest eight Palestinians in raids across West Bank

    Israeli forces have arrested eight people in early morning raids across the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.

    Six people were arrested in raids near the city of Tulkarem, while two were arrested from Kafr Nima, west of the city of Ramallah, Wafa reported.

    One of the men arrested in Kafr Ni’ma was beaten by Israeli soldiers, it added.

    Israeli raids were also reported in the city of Qalqilya, the town of Yatma, south of the city of Nablus and in the town of Beit Ummar, north of the city of Hebron, according to local media.

    Clashes were reported in Beit Ummar, with Israeli forces firing live bullets, sound bombs and tear gas.

    Iran’s missile, drone attack was at ‘high end’ of what US officials expected: Report

    The Associated Press news agency is reporting that Iran’s retaliatory attack against Israel, which involved the launch of hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, was at the “high end” of what US officials anticipated.

    The agency, citing officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that despite the high interception rate, Iran’s intent was to “destroy and cause casualties” and that if successful, the strikes would have caused an “uncontrollable” escalation across the Middle East.

    At one point, at least 100 ballistic missiles from Iran were in the air simultaneously with just minutes of flight time to Israel, the officials told the AP.

    Biden and senior officials monitored the firings and interception attempts in real time in the White House Situation Room. The officials said there was “relief” in the room once they saw that the missile defence efforts had succeeded.

    Blinken speaks with Jordan, Saudi, Turkey and Egypt’s foreign ministers

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with his counterparts in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in the wake of Iran’s retaliatory attacks against Israel, according to his office.

    During his conversations, the US’s top diplomat reiterated that Washington is not seeking escalation in the region but will continue to support Israel’s defence.

    Blinken also discussed the importance of increasing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

    Biden urges US House to pass bill with $14bn in aid for Israel

    The US president has urged Congressional leaders to pass a spending bill that includes $14bn in aid for Israel in a phone call to discuss Washington’s response to Iran’s retaliatory attacks.

    Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson who was on the call with Biden told Fox News that his party understands “the necessity of standing with Israel” and that he would try to advance the spending package this week.

    The Biden administration has been pressing the Republican-controlled House to pass the sweeping $95bn US national security supplemental spending package, which includes for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, since February.