Israel struck Iranian nuclear and military facilities with a barrage of missiles on Friday, killing several top officials and prompting a counter-attack by Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's attack on its arch-rival would last "as many days" as needed, and cited Israeli intelligence that Tehran was approaching the "point of no return" on its nuclear programme.

Iran called the Israeli air assault "a declaration of war" and fired dozens of missiles at Israel later Friday and Saturday.

When US President Donald Trump publicly implored Israel not to attack Iran, he declared, once again, that his goal was to be a peacemaker.

Hours later on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- one of Trump's closest international allies -- unleashed a major military campaign described as a "preemptive" strike against Iran's nuclear program.

The attack marks the latest setback for Trump's lofty goal set out at the start of his second term of being a "man of peace."

Oil prices soared and stocks sank Friday after Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran and stoking fears of a full-blown war.

Oil futures rocketed more than 13 percent at one point before coming back to gains nearer seven percent, reigniting worries about a renewed spike to inflation.

After a down day in Europe and Asia, Wall Street indices spent the entire day in the red before finishing the day down more than one percent.

Iran struck Israel with barrages of missiles on Saturday, a day after a massive onslaught against its nuclear and military facilities killed top generals and nuclear scientists.

Israeli emergency services said two people were killed when a rocket hit a residential area early Saturday, as the two sides traded fire for a second day despite international calls for de-escalation.

Iran called on its citizens to unite in defence of the country as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them to rise up against their government.

After nearly a century in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, King Tutankhamun's iconic gold mask and remaining treasures are set to move to the new Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids.

Visitors have just days left to see the boy king's world-famous gold funerary mask before it joins more than 5,000 artefacts from his tomb at the GEM, a $1-billion megaproject opening on July 3.

"Only 26 objects from the Tutankhamun collection, including the golden mask and two coffins, remain here in Tahrir," said museum director Ali Abdel Halim.

US President Donald Trump called Thursday on ally Israel not to strike Iran's nuclear sites, saying a deal remained close if Tehran compromises.

Trump acknowledged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering a strike, which he said could spark a "massive conflict" -- leading to a US decision to draw down embassy staff in the region.

"We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement," Trump told reporters.

Asked about his discussions with Netanyahu, Trump said: "I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it."

The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urging nations to take "all measures necessary" to place pressure on Israel.

Following the United States' veto of a similar push in the Security Council last week, the General Assembly adopted the non-binding resolution by a vote of 149-12, with 19 abstentions.

President Donald Trump warned Thursday that Israel may soon strike Iran's nuclear sites, but urged the key US ally to hold off as he stressed his commitment to a diplomatic solution.

Tensions have soared in the region in the last two days with Trump warning of a "massive conflict" and drawing down US staff.

Tehran meanwhile defiantly vowed to increase its output of enriched uranium -- a key sticking point in talks with Washington -- after being censured by the UN's atomic watchdog.

Israel charged on Thursday that Hamas was "weaponising suffering in Gaza" after a US and Israeli-backed charity accused the Palestinian militant group of killing eight of its aid workers in the territory.

The distribution of food and basic supplies in the blockaded and war-ravaged Gaza has become increasingly fraught and perilous, exacerbating the territory's deep hunger crisis.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said a bus carrying its staff to a distribution site near the southern city of Khan Yunis was "brutally attacked by Hamas" around 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Wednesday.

The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide has dropped slightly from a record peak but remains "untenably high", the United Nations said Thursday.

A record 123.2 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2024, said UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

But that figure dropped to 122.1 million by the end of April this year, as Syrians began returning home after years of turmoil.

More than 1.5 million Syrians have been able to return home from abroad or from displacement within the war-ravaged country.