Israel claims it has gained control of airspace over Tehran

Defence minister Israel Katz says Iranian capital will burn' if more missiles are fired at his country

Israel has claimed to have gained control of the skies over the Iranian capital and warned that Tehran will burn" if more missiles are fired at its territory, but the Iranian leadership remained defiant, vowing a more severe and powerful response" and threatened to widen the war by striking ships and bases of Israeli allies.

The mutual threats reflected the risks of a dramatic escalation in the conflict, as US-Iranian negotiations planned before the war in Oman were abandoned after Tehran said they would be meaningless", and Israel appeared to target Iran's gas industry. Israeli rhetoric reflected its leaders' growing confidence that they have gained the upper hand, and raised questions over whether Israeli war aims could go beyond the stated objective of crippling Iran's nuclear programme.