Middle East – live: ‘Clear’ Israel has chosen to retaliate to Iran attack, says Cameron as US set on sanctions

It is “clear the Israelis are making a decision to act” in response to Iran’s unprecedented direct attack, David Cameron has said, as the foreign secretary landed in Israel for talks with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible and in a way that, as I said yesterday, is smart as well as tough,” Britain’s foreign secretary told reporters.

The UK wants “to see coordinated sanctions against Iran”, Lord Cameron said, ahead of an upcoming meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Italy, adding: “They need to be given a clear and unequivocal message by the G7 and I hope that will happen at the weekend.”

United States Treasury secretary Janet Yellen has already said she expects Washington will hit Tehran with new sanctions in a matter of days, in a bid to reduce Tehran’s capacity to export oil and ability to finance its proxies throughout the Middle East.

Iran launched the attack in retaliation for an airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on 1 April attributed to Israel, but signalled that it did not seek further escalation.

Pakistan’s premier Shehbaz Sharif has said that Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi will visit the South Asian nation “very soon”.

The statement from his office, following a cabinet meeting, also said that the billions of dollars would be invested by Saudi Arabia following a visit led by the country’s foreign minister to Pakistan this week.

The 25 crew members of the shipping container seized by Iran on Saturday are safe, shipping firm MSC has said, adding that discussions with Iranian authorities are in progress to secure their earliest release.

“We are also working with the Iranian authorities to have the cargo discharged,” the company