First Thing: Iran plays down scale of attack by Israel

Senior Iranian official says there is no plan for immediate retaliation. Plus, all 12 jurors seated in Trump criminal trial

Good morning,

Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran on Friday and explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz. The Iranian government sought to play down the scale of the attack.

What is the context? The Israeli strike is in retaliation for a Iranian aerial attack involving 300 missiles and drones on Sunday morning, Iran’s first ever attack on the Jewish state, which in turn was a reprisal for the bombing of an Iranian consular building in Damascus on 1 April.

What does it say about US-Israeli relations? Benjamin Netanyahu defied Joe Biden, who had urged Israel not to respond militarily but to “take the win” of having shot down Iranian missiles.

How was the UN security council vote on Palestinian UN membership split? The 15-member body voted 12 in favor, the US opposed, and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland.

What happens next? The court still needs to appoint six alternate jurors. At least one alternate had been selected before court concluded on Thursday.

How did the judge rebuke the press? He said to exercise “common sense” and “refrain from anything that has to do, for example, with physical descriptions” of jurors. He prohibited reporting on employers of jurors. It came after Fox News ran a segment on Tuesday that directly attacked jury members.

What will the 12 jurors decide? Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over an alleged $130,000 hush-money scheme involving Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. He pleads not guilty.