Pope Francis urged Iran and Israel on Sunday to avoid actions that could feed "a spiral of violence" that risked dragging the Middle East deeper into conflict.

A full-scale conflict between Iran and Israel would be devastating, and neither the Middle East nor the world can afford more war, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned.

As Tel Aviv plots its next move, Western diplomats are desperately scrambling to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East. Here, Defence Editor Chris Hughes looks at four possible scenarios which may happen in the coming days

The Indian diplomatic missions in Israel and Iran on Sunday issued fresh advisories for its nationals after Tehran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on the Jewish state, advising them to stay calm, adhere to safety protocols along with activating additional helpline numbers.

Indian Embassy advises nationals to avoid unnecessary travel, calls for de-escalation in the Middle East, and provides emergency contact numbers for registration.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Iran against further attacks on Israel on Sunday as the escalating conflict in the Middle East overshadowed the start of his three-day tour of China.

Tel Aviv:  The Indian embassy in Israel on Sunday issued a fresh advisory for its nationals asking them to be safe and calm, a day after Iran attacked the

Iran launched drones and missiles against Israel - marking a new and more volatile phase of the Middle East conflict

The Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv has advised Filipinos in Israel to be on alert after Iran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel.