Iran and Israel continued on Sunday their aerial attacks, which began Friday with a series of Israeli strikes on Iran.

Israel may be trying to take advantage of a window: Iran has reportedly not yet rebuilt air defences which were degraded by an Israeli attack in October, and Iran’s strongest proxy in the region, Hezbollah in Lebanon, has been significantly weakened by Israeli action.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched an expanded assault on Iran on Sunday, with direct strikes targeting its energy industry and Defense Ministry headquarters, while Tehran unleashed a fresh barrage of missiles blamed for the deaths of four people and injuries of many others.

While Israel and Iran trade attacks, Palestinians in Gaza have been struggling to find food, connect to the internet and survive airstrikes.

Iraq on Saturday called on the United States to prevent Israeli aircraft from breaching Iraqi airspace to carry out attacks against Iran, citing bilateral agreements and international law. "The Iraqi government urges the United States to uphold its responsibilities under the agreements signed between the two countries and prevent aircraft belonging to the Zionist entity from once again violating Iraqi airspace,

Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran.