Israel signals it will not immediately act alone, while US states it would not take part in any counter-offensive against Tehran

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Israel is weighing its response to Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone assault on its territory, signalling on Sunday night that it would not immediately act alone, but insisting its forces remained on high alert and that the leadership had approved both “offensive and defensive action”.

Two members of Israel’s three-man war cabinet made statements suggesting they were taking a longer-term view of the response to Iran’s first ever direct attack on Israeli soil. But the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had not declared a formal decision by late on Sunday.

Analysts suggest regime may be downplaying situation for fear conflict could spiral out of control

• Middle East crisis – live updates

If Iran is on the brink of war with Israel, and possibly the US, astonishingly little is being done by the regime to prepare its people for the coming struggle. That may be because Iran does not want an all-out conflict.

Even Iranian reporters have noticed the silence and how the rhetoric of imminent war is largely being stoked by US intelligence officials in Washington. One Iranian reformist newspaper had five reports on a possible imminent attack on Israel, including predictions of hundreds of cruise missiles raining down on Israel, entirely based on US news outlets, such as CBS, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.