The US has deployed additional warships and B52 bombers as threats from Iran continue to mount against Israel.

Despite being urged by the US to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has authorised a new military strike against Israel.

The decision comes days after Ayatollah Ali Khameini, Iran’s supreme leader,  warned of “a crushing” retaliation to Israel’s recent air assault on Iran last week, breaking down huge swathes of the Islamic Republic’s air defences.

Amid the war of attrition between the two regional enemies, Esmail Kowsari, a member of Iran’s parliament and a former general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that the response would be much harsher than the Oct 1 attack that saw Iran launch nearly 200 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel.