Hostilities between Israel and Iran have entered the fifth day after Israel refused any diplomatic overtures from Iran overnight to stop the ongoing conflict. In response, The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued an evacuation directive,

Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional ally, has signaled privately that it does not intend to attack Israel, but Lebanon’s military has bolstered its presence in the country’s south to prevent rocket fire.

China has begun evacuating its citizens from Iran and Israel as tensions grow in the region over the escalating bombardments in both nations.

European natural gas prices moved higher as traders braced for a potential escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict and risks for global energy supplies.

Pakistan’s embassy in Iran's capital Tehran is organizing evacuations for citizens who want to leave because of the conflict with Israel. (AP video by Tawab Khan)

Iranian news media and residents of Tehran say the damage from the latest Israeli strikes appears to be significant, with several apartment buildings badly damaged. Residents say they are hearing ambulance sirens and fire trucks racing to the scenes and rescue workers are working to find casualties in the rubble.

Israel and Iran have begun a new round of attacks, as the conflict between the two heavily armed rivals enters its fourth day.

What began with Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and other targets has now spiraled into the world’s first full-scale example of what is a “threshold war”.