Fears of war recede as Iran vows NOT to hit back over Israel strike... but ... trends now

Fears of a Middle East war receded last night after Iran said it would not retaliate following Israeli missile strikes near its nuclear installations.

Israel's muted show of force, which was criticised by hardline members of its coalition government, came after Iran sent 300 missiles and drones towards the Jewish state last Saturday.

There were no casualties in the Israeli attack, which came on the 85th birthday of the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. It centred on the province of Isfahan, home to several nuclear facilities, missile factories and an airbase. None of the nuclear sites was damaged.

Further explosions were reported near the northern city of Tabriz.

Iranian state TV said: 'Three drones were observed in the sky over Isfahan.

'The air defence system became active and destroyed these drones in the sky.'

Following Israel's retaliation, Rishi Sunak led international pleas for de-escalation as he urged 'calm heads to prevail'.

In recent weeks, tit-for-tat exchanges between the regional powers have threatened to trigger a fully blown conflict.

The latest shadow war began on April 1 when an Israeli rocket destroyed Iran's consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing at least seven people, including senior military figures.

On April 13, Iran launched its first major attack on Israel. UK fighter jets joined a US-led international coalition which shot down the terrifying array of projectiles. Remarkably, there were no fatalities.

The sheer scale of the Iranian assault led to calls by ultra-nationalist members of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet for Israel to 'go berserk'. However, it appeared yesterday's action was intended to signal Israel's ability to strike sensitive targets inside Iran, rather than to do any damage.