Melbourne writer Alistair Kitchen was detained for 12 hours at Los Angeles International Airport, had his phone seized and was "interrogated" about his views on the conflict in the Middle East.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s efforts to support stranded Australians in Israel as Iranian rockets hammer Tel Aviv has been labelled “shambolic” after an evacuation email was sent out which contained an “incorrect link”.

Alistair Kitchen, an Australian writer and former student in the U.S., was deported from the United States after writing articles supporting student protests at Columbia University against Israel.

Donald Trump vetoed a plan by Israel to kill Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports from AP and Reuters. Israel’s ambassador to Australia has delivered a veiled barb to Foreign Minister Penny Wong she revealed she had phoned her Iranian counterpart urging restraint after Israel’s strikes on Iran.

Australia and South Korea on Sunday urged Israel and Iran to exercise restraint following fresh attacks against each other, according to local media reports. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Israel and Iran to "not escalate" a "perilous" situation that could affect the wider Middle East.

The upgraded travel warning comes after Iran retaliated against an Israeli attack — part of an operation that will last "as many days as it takes", to end what Israel says is Iran's nuclear threat.

Explosions have been heard in Iran with Israel claiming it has attacked the country’s capital Tehran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced a “special situation” in Israel. He said its schools would be closed on Friday.

President Trump did warn of a possible strike, but the press reports made it seem as if a strike was not imminent. The dollar is stronger against all the G10 currencies and most emerging market currencies;

Israel and Iran opened a new chapter in their long history of conflict when Israel launched a major attack with strikes early Friday that set off explosions in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Israel said it targeted nuclear and military facilities,