Tehran has several plans for responding to a threatened retaliatory strike by Israel, depending on its severity, and might also do nothing, insiders say.

Israel’s attacks on UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) mark a further deterioration in a relationship that has been difficult since the founding of Israel in 1948. According to a leaked UNIFIL report, Israel has attacked UN positions 12 times, at times even using white phosphorus against soldiers mandated by the international community to keep the peace

Appearing alongside Mr Putin at a BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, Antonio Guterres called on the Russian leader to agree a peace deal "in line with the UN Charter, international law and UN General Assembly resolutions".

The video is grainy but the message is clear. The clip, posted by NK News, purports to show North Korean soldiers in green fatigues receiving basic supplies at a training base in Russia’s east, ahead of joining Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. News that Pyongyang has sent 3,000 troops to train to fight in the war has horrified Ukraine, the US and Europe. But it has special significance in Seoul – 7,300km from Kyiv – where North Korea is a both an enemy and a nextdoor neighbour.

Iran is readying for war with Israel while at the same time seeking to avoid one, according to a Thursday report, and its next steps will be determined by Israel’s response to Tehran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack, the outline of which was said to have been approved in recent days.