Middle East

An Israeli hospital has been damaged and an Iranian heavy water reactor hit as the escalating Middle East crisis enters the seventh day with Donald Trump still weighing up US involvement.

Another group of Australians are set to be evacuated from Israel in the coming hours, as the Government acknowledges it will be ‘complicated’ and ‘risky to get people out of Iran. 

Australian travellers have been warned to exercise a high degree of caution if they are headed to this country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran will ‘pay a heavy price’ after it targeted southern Israel’s largest hospital in missile strikes Thursday morning.

The Israeli Defence Force has confirmed that it hit more than 20 military targets in the heart of Iran using 60 fighter jets, as the growing conflict in the region enters its seventh day.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested Russia could help negotiate a deal to end the conflict between Iran and Israel.

THE ECONOMIST: When Israel launched its war on Iran, it did so on the basis of intelligence that it claimed showed Iran had reached a ‘point of no return’ in its quest for a nuclear weapon.

Australia’s chief diplomat has dished out a warning to Iran as Donald Trump eyes US intervention in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly informed senior aides that he approved military plans targeting Iran, but was delaying giving the final order to see whether Tehran would abandon its nuclear program.

Amid reports the US may join the conflict, over 1,000 Australians in Israel have registered with DFAT for assistance, while others remain resolute despite rising regional threats.

Some Palestinians in the enclave say their plight is being forgotten as attention has shifted to the air war between Israel and Iran.

The US may be nearing involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict after Donald Trump declined to rule out the possibility of launching airstrikes, stating he ‘may or may not’ take such action.

Iran's UN envoy accuses the US of being complicit in Israeli strikes on the country and warns Tehran will have a firm response if it becomes directly involved.

AHRON SHAPIRO: For years, Iran has played the entire world in this catastrophically dangerous game. Left with no other recourse, their bluff has finally been called.

The US President has convened a high-level meeting in the National Situation Room hours after blunt posts on social media raised expectations he was considering American military intervention.