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Moscow Vacation Packages

Moscow vacations are always a great idea when it comes to traveling in Russia. Plan your trip to Moscow with a leading tour operator for Russia and enjoy the ease and pleasure that comes from it. You will stay at the centrally-located hotels, enjoy guided tours to Moscow's best sights with charming local guides, and, most importantly, feel relaxed and immersed in the Russian culture at all times. Wondering what the ideal way to see the best of Moscow is? Well, with a private tour to Moscow, of course! We will listen to your travel preferences and prepare a custom Moscow itinerary just for you. Let's start talking about your upcoming vacation to the gorgeous capital city of Russia.

Moscow Tour Highlights

Explore the capital of the largest country in the world, Russia.

Learn about the most visited sights in Moscow that are worth adding to your Russian itinerary. Create a fantastic tour to Moscow with a destination, choosing your wished activities.

• Moscow walking tour
• The Red Square
• St Basil's Cathedral
• Moscow Subway ride
• Tretyakov Gallery
• The Red Square in Moscow
• The Bolshoi Theater
• Cathedral of Christ the Savior
• Moscow's Kremlin exploration
• 'Seven Sisters' Skyscrapers

Tips for Moscow Travel

Take a look at the good-to-know tips before visiting Moscow and have a fantastic time in the capital.

What to pack

Make sure to check the weather prognosis before your trip and pack accordingly.

When to travel

Moscow is beautiful all around the year. Choose traveling time according to preferred activities.

We suggest to always have some cash with you. You will need Rubles (RUB) for Russia.

How much to tip

Tipping is not required in Russia, but it's considered good etiquette, tip 10%-15% of your bill.

The average summer temperature is approx 18°C (64°F), and winter is around -6°C (22°F).

Some of the most popular souvenirs from Moscow are caviar, Krasnaya Moska perfume.

Best Moscow Sights

One of the highest points in Moscow and one of its most breathtaking places - the Sparrow Hills.

See the 344-feet Cathedral of Christ the Savior - the tallest Orthodox church in the world.

Enjoy masterpieces of Russian opera and ballet in Moscow's legendary Bolshoi Theater.

Being the most recognizable symbol of Russia in the world, Red Square is an absolute must see when in Moscow. 

The famous GUM is a large department store in the Kitai-gorod part of Moscow facing Red Square.

History and luxury is revealed inside the Kremlin as the Armoury Chamber displays treasures like Faberge Eggs.

St. Basil’s Cathedral is Moscow’s most famous artistic work of architecture set in the romantic Red Square.

The symbol of Moscow and entire Russia, the Kremlin is often described as the 8th Wonder of the World.

Moscow Metro is like a whole underground city that holds the world's largest collection of Stalinist Art.

I am very satisfied.

I have been using the Firebirds (Travel All Russia) services for a while. I am very satisfied.

WOW. From the choice of hotels to...

WOW. From the choice of hotels, an itinerary that ran to plan, the amazing Guides and drivers, and of course the stunning cities of Moscow and St Petersburg. No long queues for entry to museums, churches, and palaces.  I would gladly recommend using Firebird Tours (Travel All Russia) to anyone.

THANK YOU for making this happen for me !!!

I must say from the day I started to book my tip till the day I got home I had one GREAT trip and experience I always felt safe and cared for help was seconds away not that I needed any I will defiantly highly recommend your company to any traveler to Russia WELL DONE to the Whole team THANK YOU for making this happen for me !!!

We enjoyed the whole trip a lot

Overall we enjoyed the whole trip a lot. Moscow is beautiful and clean. Thank you very much for your patience and excellent organization of this tour. Everything ran very smoothly and according to schedule. The guides met us on time at hotels or at our train carriage on arrival. They all spoke good English, had a good local knowledge and were very kind and helpful.

The tour lived up to all expectations

I’m most pleased with Travel All Russia in arranging our ‘Volga Dream’ Russia tour, I would recommend using your services again as every aspect of our tour went off without a hitch. The communication between our tour representative was excellent as we required additional days on both ends of our tour. The visa process and the logistics were flawlessly implemented.

We had a great time in Moscow!

Everything was perfect and we are very satisfied with services and accommodations.

Loved my time in Russia

The trip was great. Especially want to mention the guides I had on the extra days were exceptional. Both guides and drivers worked out well. Thanks again for all your help and attention. Loved my time in Russia, and still haven’t stopped talking about it.

Exploring Magnificent Russian Capitals, June 2017

Just want to say that our guide in St Petersburg was really outstanding. You really felt like someone was looking after you. Very observant - knowledgeable. We really enjoyed time spent with her.

Exploring Vibrant Moscow, June 2017

The experience was great!!! We had an excellent guide. The hotel was fabulous.

Thank you for your help !!! was an unforgettable trip.

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Moscow Travel Guide

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Why travel to Moscow

Contrasts: 12th century monasteries and some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe can be found side-by-side in this complex and captivating city. The diversity of this mega-city is astounding. Only a few steps away from the solemn red facade of the Kremlin and the sounds of righteous church bells, a buzzing night scene and alternative-fashion boutiques can be found.

Culture: In Moscow only the best goes. Be it a theatre, restaurant or gallery, the standards are certain to be world-class. The Bolshoi ballet company is reputed to be even better than the Mariinsky’s and “MMOMA” (Moscow’s museum of modern art) exhibits works of art as profound as any that could be found in the famed MOMA.

Convenience: Unlike the rest of Russia, it’s easy enough to get by with just English in Moscow and, driving excepted, it is surprisingly safe: the murder rate is lower than in some of America’s major cities.

Top Sights in Moscow

St. Basil’s

Novodevichy Convent

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Why visit Moscow

It would take more than two days to walk around the perimeter of the biggest city in Europe, Moscow. Many of its inhabitants barely know what’s beyond the few blocks around their flat and there are so many attractions that it’s almost impossible to know where to start. If there is such a thing as an antidote to boredom, Moscow City is it. The mind-boggling range and diversity of things to do, places to eat, parks, historical monuments and more means that a vacation in Moscow has a wealth of activities to offer for every type of traveler, from young families to retirees.

Reasons to Vacation in Moscow in 2022

The Bolshoi theatre is familiar to almost everyone as Russia’s grandest theatre, but what people don’t know is that there are many more bolshoi (big) sites in Moscow that are worth travelling all the way to Moscow to see. For more than 100 years, the world’s biggest bell has been hidden behind the Kremlin’s walls and inside Moscow’s main park (which is bigger than some countries!) there is the world’s largest outdoor ice-rink. Travelers that visit Moscow can stay at the Izmailovo, Europe’s biggest hotel, then eat at the largest and most historic McDonald’s in Europe and after that have fun at the largest European indoor theme park!

Ancient Past & Stunning Architecture:

As those who travel to Moscow will see, just because Moscow is a city of record-breaking, glitzy high-rises doesn’t mean that there is no history. On the famous Arbat street, time-worn, wooden storehouses and century-old churches are squashed up against grey, soviet blocks which are then towered over by 21st century office-blocks. Unlike its much younger sibling, St Petersburg, Moscow’s roots stretch way back to the 12th century. Within the walls of the Kremlin, the city’s oldest building the Cathedral of Assumption can be admired in all its 500+ years of age.

Culture & Convenience

For a foreigner who has never visited Russia, Moscow is the perfect stepping stone into this great land of mystery. From the country’s best classical ballet troupes to snow-white troikas trotting through the parks, all the highlights of Russian culture can be had in Moscow without any of the complications that would be expected in other, less developed regions of Russia.

Cheap as Caviar

In Moscow, everything is bargain when with the current foreign exchange rates being what they are. Even caviar doesn’t seem so dear when the exchange rate is at 60rub to the dollar, so go on indulge yourself! Take your 2022 vacation in Moscow and have the best of both worlds, with European luxury at very affordable prices.

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

We had a great time both in Moscow and St Petersburg. Your travel agency was excellent in coordinating the whole trip. Everything worked like clockwork. The guides assigned to us were very nice and friendly. They had a great knowledge of their subjects. The cars and the drivers were great. The hotels were good and the itinerary was good. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. It was nice dealing with you and your company. Thank you very much for a great Russian experience. Have a great future ahead

• 31 reviews of Express to Russia Moscow Tours in Moscow

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Smart News | April 18, 2024

See 25 Astonishing Images From the World Press Photo Contest

The winning photographs capture moving moments in the midst of tumultuous global events

Ellen Wexler

Assistant Editor, Humanities

The winners of this year’s World Press Photo Contest covered a range of vital issues, including the Israel-Hamas war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, climate change, health care, poverty, drought and conservation.

The photographers’ images convey the weight of these issues by capturing compelling individual stories, from a family in Madagascar struggling to navigate a dementia diagnosis to migrants who fell in love en route to a new life in America.

“Each year, jurors from all over the globe review tens of thousands of photos to find a selection that is visually stunning, tells stories that matter and represents our shared world,” says Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo , in a statement . “This year’s selection includes stories of desperation, hunger, war and loss—but also of perseverance, courage, love, family, dreams and more butterflies than anyone has a right to expect.”

Founded in 1955, World Press Photo is a nonprofit that has been recognizing talented photojournalists and documentary photographers for nearly 70 years. This year’s contest was open only to professional photographers working in journalism or documentary photography. Submissions were divided into six regions worldwide, each with four categories : Singles, Stories, Long-Term Projects and Open Format.

The winning photos were chosen from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers in 130 countries. On April 3, World Press Photo announced 24 regional winners. From that pool, judges selected four global winners, which were revealed today.

Below, see this year’s global winners and a selection of work by the regional winners.

World Press Photo Story of the Year

By the time he was photographed, Paul Rakotozandriny had been showing signs of dementia for more than a decade—but for most of those years, nobody knew what was happening to him.

It was his daughter Fara who realized Rakotozandriny (known as “Dada Paul”) might be suffering from a diagnosable medical condition, though she was unfamiliar with words like “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s.” All she knew was that her father was a retired chauffeur who could no longer make his way home.

The family was eventually routed to Masoandro Mody , the only group that supports dementia patients and their families in Madagascar, where the condition is not widely understood. Meanwhile, “as life expectancy rises, dementia is becoming an issue globally,” writes World Press Photo.

Photographer Lee-Ann Olwage ’s award-winning photo story is called Valim-babena , a Malagasy term that refers to children’s duty to care for their parents. Her images show Rakotozandriny and his family as they navigate their new reality—getting ready to go out, resting at home, walking to church.

“This story tackles a universal health issue through the lens of family and care,” write the contest judges. “The selection of images are composed with warmth and tenderness, reminding viewers of the love and closeness necessary in a time of war and aggression worldwide. The story of Valim-babena brings to light a crucial sociological perspective that challenges the cross-cultural isolation of the elderly, instead portraying them with dignity and care.”

World Press Photo of the Year

In the early weeks of the Israel-Hamas war , Inas Abu Maamar learned that a missile had hit a family member’s home in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza. She found the body of her 5-year-old niece, Saly, at the morgue.

Photographer Mohammed Salem ’s A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece captures this moment, though both of the subjects’ faces are hidden from view. The young girl’s mother and sister were also killed in the attack, though her 4-year-old brother, Ahmed, survived. He is now living with Inas.

“It was a powerful and a sad moment, and I felt the picture sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip,” Salem tells Reuters . “People were confused, running from one place to another, anxious to know the fate of their loved ones, and this woman caught my eye as she was holding the body of the little girl and refused to let go.”

World Press Photo Long-Term Project Award

Photographer Alejandro Cegarra migrated from Venezuela to Mexico in 2017. About a year later, he started photographing migrant communities for a project called The Two Walls .

For asylum seekers who can’t afford to pay smugglers, cargo trains are another way to cross the United States border, though traveling in this manner is extremely dangerous. Some of Cegarra’s photos capture this journey, showing groups of migrants atop a freight train nicknamed “The Beast.” One of these images captures Rosa Bello, a migrant from Honduras, and Ruben Soto, a migrant from Venezuela. The couple fell in love on the way to their new life in the U.S.

“This project is an example of dynamic, world-class storytelling,” write the contest judges. “The images are at once unsparing and respectful, and convey the intimate emotions present in diverse migrant journeys. The concern of migration resonates across the region, and the jury felt that this photographer’s own positionality as a migrant afforded a sensitive, human-centered perspective that centers the agency and resilience of migrants.”

World Press Photo Open Format Award

“I wish these photos never exist[ed],” writes photographer Julia Kochetova . “But war will start again and again, and we all are searching for the antidote. Why to remember something [do] we always need a scar?”

These words are featured at the top of Kochetova’s website , part of a project called War Is Personal . The site combines photos, text messages, audio clips, music, poetry, children’s drawings and more to examine the war in Ukraine , which began in early 2022. Now that the public has grown accustomed to seeing dispatches from the war, Kochetova’s diary-like format aims to personalize the conflict’s toll.

This project is the winner of World Press Photo’s Open Format category, which encourages “innovative techniques, non-traditional modes of presentation and new approaches to storytelling.”

Regional Winner: Africa, Long-Term Projects

In 2011, protesters ousted the longtime government of Tunisia—and the uprising ultimately sparked the Arab Spring . But the years that followed were marked by “political instability, persistent economic crises and social inequality,” per World Press Photo.

The Escape , a series by photographer Zied Ben Romdhane , focuses on the challenges faced by the country’s young people. The project was an attempt to capture the “general malaise” he’s noticed among this group.

“I feel that these young people are trying to escape from the harsh and challenging reality, which is why the photos convey a dreamlike or parallel Tunisia,” Ben Romdhane tells Magnum Photos . “Those who are unable to physically leave the country do so mentally or spiritually. However, there’s also a pervasive sense of uncertainty in this world, [where] illusions and mirages abound. The vacant gazes suggest that these young people are almost hypnotized, or numb to their trauma and pains, lacking reactions.”

Regional Winner: Asia, Open Format

Japan has one of the world’s highest dementia rates among its elderly population, according to World Press Photo. By 2025, experts predict that some seven million Japanese citizens will be experiencing symptoms of the condition.

Much like Valim-babena , Japanese photographer Kazuhiko Matsumura ’s Heartstrings examines dementia’s heavy toll. The project is divided into several distinct sections, each focused on one family. It aims to portray both individual experiences and larger cultural themes.

One particularly moving image shows Masaharu Taniguchi and his wife, who was living with dementia, as they look out on cherry blossoms in full bloom. “After that day, my wife changed,” says Taniguchi, per a statement. “She showed her smile more often and talked more. We were even able to take walks around the botanical gardens and parks, and I felt the joy of living with my wife.”

Regional Winner: Europe, Stories

In the summer of 2023, the Kakhovka Dam in southeastern Ukraine collapsed, with many experts ultimately concluding that Russian forces had blown it up from the inside. The disaster caused devastating flooding, killing hundreds and damaging thousands of homes.

In Kakhovka Dam: Flood in a War Zone , German photographer Johanna-Maria Fritz focuses on the human toll of the dam failure. Her images depict scenes of flooded neighborhoods. Volunteers can be seen navigating the debris in small boats as they conduct recovery efforts.

“The jury was impressed by how these images highlight the environmental impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” write the contest officials. “The project urges viewers to consider the weaponization of the landscape and man-made natural disasters.”

Regional Winner: North and Central America, Open Format

Sally Ride is famously the first American woman to go to space. She is also the first known LGBTQ astronaut , though she was never open about her sexuality during her lifetime.

While several astronauts came out later in life, “NASA has never selected or flown an openly LGBTQ astronaut,” writes photographer Mackenzie Calle on her website . Her project, The Gay Space Agency , imagines an alternative history in which a group of queer aspiring astronauts built their careers through a fictional astronaut program.

“The jury thoroughly enjoyed this creative and witty project, discovering new details and references each time they revisited the images,” write the contest officials. “The photographer skillfully tackles an underrepresented story, using sci-fi elements to highlight the irony of homophobia within the realm of space exploration.

Regional Winner: Southeast Asia and Oceania, Singles

Lotomau Fiafia was born on Kioa Island in Fiji in 1952. More than 70 years later, he was still there. The community elder could see the beach from his house, but something was different. “More sand erodes each year,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald last year. “Rain does not come in its right time.”

In Fighting, Not Sinking , photographer Eddie Jim shows Fiafia standing in the ocean with his grandson John. The water comes up to Fiafia’s chest; John, who is about a head shorter than his grandfather, is submerged up to his chin. This is where Fiafia, who died a few months after the photo was taken, said the shoreline used to be.

“I have been asked by the elder Lotomau Fiafia to tell their stories to the outside world on how global warming [is] affecting them and their community,” Jim wrote on Instagram . “I feel like I have finished a mission now, but unfortunately Lotomau is no longer with us. … I hope I am doing [his] community proud.”

Regional Winner: South America, Singles

In 2023, parts of the Amazon experienced an extreme drought —the worst in over a century—caused by the El Niño weather pattern and warming in the North Atlantic Ocean. Communities affected by the drought lost access to drinking water, transportation and other necessities of daily life.

In photographer Lalo de Almeida ’s Drought in the Amazon , a lone fisherman is seen walking across the dry bed of the Amazon River in the Tefé region of Brazil, where more than 150 villages had lost access to vital waterways, according to World Press Photo. A barren landscape sprawls out behind him.

“This image encapsulates the undeniable reality of the environmental crisis and drought in the Amazon,” writes the jury. “Organic and captured at the perfect moment, its composition powerfully conveys the gravity of the situation. Standing alone, it serves as a powerful representation of the challenges facing the Amazon and their global effects.”

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Ellen Wexler | | READ MORE

Ellen Wexler is Smithsonian magazine’s assistant digital editor, humanities.

Photos: United Arab Emirates sees its heaviest rains in 75 years

Atypically heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates on Monday and Tuesday caused flooding, flight cancellations and school closures. Vehicles were abandoned on highways like this one in Dubai.

Francois Nel / Getty Images

DUBAI — Schools and businesses have been closed across the United Arab Emirates after the country experienced about year's worth of rain in one day.

The flooding also disrupted travel at Dubai International Airport, which is the world's busiest for international travel.

Videos posted online showed residents sweeping rainwater out of their homes and luxury cars stranded in Dubai's flooded streets, after a storm unleashed the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the country since the start of data collection 75 years ago. That was well before the country was founded.

Dubai's high-end stores weren't spared either, as rainwater gushed through the ceilings of shopping malls. At Dubai's main airport, the runway flooded and flagship carrier Emirates suspended all departing flights on Wednesday. The local Gulf News reported more than 1,200 flights were canceled due to Tuesday's storms. The airport is expected to return to fully operational by Friday.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by NPR (@npr)

The city, known for its year-round sunny weather and beaches, saw sunshine later in the week, but schools remained remote due to road closures.

Despite some damage to cars, homes and roads, the UAE's state news agency says the rainfall boosts the country's groundwater reserves.

Rainfall in nearby Oman is blamed for more than 20 deaths this week, including 10 children swept away in a car on their way home from school Monday, according to state-owned media there.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

A flooded parking lot in Dubai on Thursday.

Passengers queue at a flight connection desk at the Dubai International Airport on Wednesday. Dubai's main airport diverted scores of incoming flights on Tuesday as heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates, causing widespread flooding around the country.

- / AFP/Getty Images

Cars drive in a flooded street following heavy rains in Dubai on Wednesday. Torrential rain caused floods across the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.

Giuseppe Cacace / AFP via Getty Images

A man walks along a road barrier on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road amid floodwater caused by heavy rain, Thursday.

Christopher Pike / AP

A tanker truck sits abandoned in floodwater in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday. The United Arab Emirates attempted to dry out Thursday from the heaviest rain the desert nation has ever recorded, a deluge that flooded out Dubai International Airport and disrupted flights through the world's busiest airfield for international travel.

Jon Gambrell / AP

People wait for transportation on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on Thursday.

Vehicles sit abandoned in floodwater covering a major road in Dubai on Wednesday.

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Administrator Samantha Power Travels to Angola

For Immediate Release

Office of Press Relations [email protected]

Trip Advisory

From April 23-25, Administrator Samantha Power and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma will travel to Angola to reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to supporting prosperity, security, and good governance in Angola.

During the visit, the Administrator will meet with government leaders, members of the civil society, and business executives in Luanda. She will highlight USAID’s investments in malaria prevention in a visit to Angola’s National Health Research Institute, a key partner in the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

The Administrator will also travel to Angola’s Benguela Province to advance U.S. support for the Lobito Corridor, a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) priority project that will connect the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to regional and global trade markets via the Port of Lobito. While there she will meet with Angolan farmers and government partners.

Administrator Power Travels to Angola

Body Administrator Samantha Power and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma are traveling to Angola to reaffirm the U.S. Government’s commitment to supporting prosperity, security, and good governance in Angola.

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Middle East latest: Worshippers in Tehran chant 'death to Israel' after strike; man 'carrying explosives' arrested at Iranian consulate in Paris

Worshippers in Tehran gather at a demonstration just hours after an apparent Israeli strike in Iran. Elsewhere, a man is arrested at the Iranian consulate in Paris after claiming to be carrying explosives.

Friday 19 April 2024 22:30, UK

• Israel-Hamas war

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• What we know so far about Israel's apparent attack on Iran
• Iran has 'no plan for immediate retaliation'
• Blinken refuses to talk about Israel's reported attack
• Man arrested at Iranian consulate in Paris
• Worshippers in Tehran chant 'death to Israel'
• Analysis:  This strike has escalation written all over it
• Analysis: Iran isn't biggest threat to the coalition right now
• Live reporting by  Emily Mee

An Israeli retired major general has said he doesn't believe Israel's overnight attack on Iran is a "very significant event". 

Major General Giora Eiland, the former head of the Israeli National Security Council, said the strike showed Israel can reach "even sensitive places" but it had tried to "do it way that both sides can be satisfied". 

He told Sky's World with Yalda Hakim programme that he doesn't "predict real escalation after this". 

Asked whether Israel's message had been received in Iran, he said countries will try to emphasise their success and minimise the success of the other side. 

He added that in attacking Israel, Iran had created an international coalition against itself - "something they certainly don't want to see". 

We've been hearing from our military analyst Professor Michael Clarke , who says the overnight attacks on Iran appear to be the Israelis "going after certain targets directly linked to n[Tehran's] attack last weekend". 

It's not been confirmed yet, but he says Israel almost certainly used ballistic missiles - rather than the drones than Iran says were used. 

"The Iranians have an interest in saying it was almost certainly a one-off attack, it was drones, it didn't matter," Professor Clarke says. 

This "relieves them of the responsibility of being so outraged they have to do something even more decisive", he says. 

Both sides are now "trying to save face". 

Professor Clarke says Israel wanted to carry out an attack, but not one that would upset its allies too much. 

Meanwhile Iran is being "careful not to overplay" Israel's attack. 

We reported earlier today on a tweet from Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, calling the attack on Iran overnight "lame". 

Channel 12 is now reporting a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached out to the far-right politician to tell him he was harming Israel's national security. 

However, the network added he is unlikely to face further repercussions as Mr Netanyahu is reliant on him to remain in power. 

Mr Ben Gvir is among the Israeli hardliners calling for a harsher response to Iran and more brutal measures in Gaza. 

The Israeli prime minister remains in a tough spot as he is facing calls for de-escalation from Western allies, but he also needs to appease hardliners within his government to stay in power. 

The Met Police has retracted its previous statement about two of its officers, who were heavily criticised for threatening to arrest a Jewish man near a pro-Palestinian march. 

The officers said the antisemitism campaigner, who was wearing a kippah skull cap, was "quite openly Jewish" so they were concerned about the reaction to his presence near the march. 

The Met said it had "reflected on the strength of the response to our previous statement" and wished to make a new apology. 

In its earlier statement, the force had said the use of the term "openly Jewish" was a "poor choice of words and while not intended, we know it will have caused offence to many". 

It continued: "In recent weeks we've seen a new trend emerge, with those opposed to the main protests appearing along the route to express their views.

"The fact that those who do this often film themselves while doing so suggests they must know that their presence is provocative, that they're inviting a response and that they're increasing the likelihood of an altercation."

But this statement was criticised by the antisemitism campaigner in the video, Gideon Falter, who accused the force of "appalling victim blaming". 

"What has dented Jewish Londoners' confidence in the Met is not us making this video public, but the actions of the Met's officers telling me that I cannot be in the area whilst openly Jewish," he said. 

"The assistant commissioner appears to be saying that we should have taken this on the chin and kept the video under wraps."

Here is the new statement in full: 

"The use of the term 'openly Jewish' by one of our officers is hugely regrettable. We know it will have caused offence to many. We reiterate our apology.

"We have reflected on the strength of the response to our previous statement. In an effort to make a point about the policing of protest we caused further offence. This was never our intention. We have removed that statement and we apologise.

"Being Jewish is not a provocation. Jewish Londoners must be able to feel safe in this city.

"Our commitment to protecting the public extends to all communities across London. It's important that our public statements reflect that more clearly than they did today."

US officials are continuing their silence on the apparent Israeli attack on Iran overnight. 

In a news conference just now, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether this is part of a strategy to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. 

She said she has "nothing to share" and was "not going to speculate on reportings". 

Ms Jean-Pierre said the US does not want to see the conflict escalate and will continue to consult with partners. 

Israeli fighter jets launched three missiles at an air defence radar site near the Iranian city of Isfahan in last night's overnight strike, according to a report. 

ABC News, citing an unnamed US official, said the radar site was part of the protection of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. 

The official reportedly said the missiles were fired from outside Iran and the strike was "very limited". 

They also said an initial assessment showed the radar site was taken out, but the assessment has not yet been completed. 

Iran earlier said three drones were involved in the attack on Isfahan, and made no mention of any missiles or damage. 

The US has publicly said very little about the attack, apart from confirming it was not involved. 

By Alex Rossi , international correspondent on the Israel-Lebanon border

The roads through northern Israel along the border with Lebanon are empty of cars.

It is unnervingly quiet.

Since 7 October the area has been under bombardment from Hezbollah militants and tens of thousands of people have left following the government's evacuation rules.

Ariel Frish, the deputy head of security, in Kiryat Shmona, a frontline city, shows me the damage in a residential area.

A house is gutted from fire caused by the explosion from the strike.

"We got attacked by a great wave of missiles, one of the missiles hit this house," he said. 

"Nobody was here because we evacuated the city one week before. And if we had not evacuated there would be no survivors.”

The Israel Defence Forces and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire on a daily basis in the north for more than six months - and it feels like a full scale war may not be far away.

Walking through the communities in the north is eerie. 

You can hear the sound of birdsong and the constant noise of drones and warplanes circling overhead.

A short distance from the Lebanese border and former IDF commander, Gideon Harari, who lives in one of the communities in the line of fire, says a major confrontation is looking more likely every day.

The situation with Iran and the standoff with Hezbollah, as well as the war in Gaza, make this an incredibly dangerous time for the region.

"The shooting is daily. Rockets, drones every day," he said. 

"Now is the most dangerous point in the Middle East for the last forty years. If Israel will take military measures against Iran it might drive us into a Middle East war, a big war."

The internally displaced have moved to hotels and guesthouses in safer parts of Israel.

In Tiberias the evacuees can only wonder when it will be safe to return.

"The mood of the people in Israel is very frustrated. And it is very dangerous to live here," says Daniel Boker, who left his hometown of Metula on the border, months ago.

Tensions are now the highest they've been for decades and that's reflected in the preparations Israel is making.

The national ambulance service, Magen David Adom, has been stockpiling equipment in an underground facility. Chief of staff Uri Shacham, tells me 7 October has changed everything.

"We are preparing for a long-term campaign or long-term war," he said.

"If you had talked to me in September 2023, I would have said we have a supply for one month. 

"Nowadays, because of what we are expecting, [we are] preparing... many more month's [worth] of equipment."

Israel now faces crisis on multiple fronts but it is clear the current situation in the north is increasingly untenable. 

It will not take much for a broader war to break out.

By Sam Doak, OSINT reporter

A video showing explosions in the sky above Isfahan provides further information on last night's attack in Iran. 

Sky News determined the video was filmed next to Laleh Park in the northeast of the city by matching features including a road, park, flagpole and three cylindrical structures.  

This made it possible to determine the video shows explosions in the sky to the east of the city.  

While this video does not contain enough information to tell with certainty what site was targeted, explosions in this general area fit with accounts in Iranian media that a base adjoining Isfahan International Airport was attacked. 

This base is located to the northeast of Isfahan. Fars News Agency, a regime-aligned Iranian outlet, has claimed that three explosions occurred near this site as a result of last night's attack. No substantial damage has been reported.  

The apparent Israeli attack on Iran has prompted airlines to change flight paths, cancel flights and divert others to alternate airports over security concerns. 

Iran closed its airports in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan in the aftermath and cleared flights from the western portion of its airspace for a few hours after the attack, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Both the airports and airspace had reopened by 4.45am UK time. 

Flydubai said it had cancelled its flights to Iran and an earlier flight had turned back to Dubai. 

Tracking data also showed an Iran Air flight from Rome to Tehran was diverted to Ankara, Turkey. 

As we reported earlier, Germany's Lufthansa cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv and Erbil until tomorrow, and would avoid Iraqi airspace during this time period. 

United Airlines said it would cancel its daily flight from Newark to Tel Aviv until 2 May, while Air Canadasaid it was pausing operations to and from Tel Aviv until the end of June. 

Emirates, Flydubai, Turkish Air, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Belavia were among the carriers continuing to fly over the part of Iran's airspace that remained open in the initial hours after the attack early today.

Activists and aid workers are preparing another attempt to break through the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. 

A coalition of organisations, including the IHH and the Mavi Marmara Association from Turkey, are planning to set sail soon onboard the ship Akdeniz. 

The exact launch date is unclear but activists are currently sorting aid inside the cargo hold. 

The same organisations were previously in charge of a flotilla that attempted to deliver aid in 2010. 

Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara in international waters, leading to an altercation that left nine people dead and dozens of activists wounded.

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