Binyamin Netanyahu has shrugged off calls from the US and the UK for restraint despite a direct appeal from Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton to avoid war with Iran.
The Israeli prime minister thanked allies for their “suggestions and advice” but insisted that Israel would do “whatever is necessary to defend itself”. “We make our own decisions,” he said.
Britain has engaged in frantic diplomacy to try to talk Israel down from a significant retaliation against Iran following the weekend barrage of hundreds of drones and missiles.
• Israel-Iran attack latest: follow live
The attacks were almost entirely intercepted by a joint Israeli, US, British, French and Jordanian operation.
Israel was on the verge of carrying out a retaliatory strike on Monday night before
