The strikes carried out against Israel were 'more successful than we expected', Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander in Chief Hossein Salami said in Tehran on Sunday.

"The strikes that we have precise and documented and on-the-ground reports about; they indicate this operation has been more successful than we expected," Salami said.

He went on to warn that the next operation 'will be much bigger', should Tel Aviv decide to carry out retaliatory strikes against Iran 'in Syria or elsewhere'.

"This operation was carried out with the efforts of the IRGC and the help of other armed forces [of Iran]," he confirmed.

Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel on Saturday night in Tehran’s first direct attack on the Jewish state, signalling a major escalation of tensions in the region.

The attack came as a response to the alleged Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed at least seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), including a senior Quds Force commander.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed Iran had launched '300 threats of various types' towards Israel, adding that '99%' of the rockets and drones had been intercepted. At the same time, defence minister Yoav Gallant reported that 'very little damage was caused' due to the attack.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Washington had intercepted 'dozens of missiles and UAVs' before they had entered Israeli airspace. President Joe Biden reiterated his 'ironclad' support for the Jewish state and said he will convene a G7 meeting on Sunday.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides to exercise restraint and said he was 'deeply alarmed', warning of a 'very real danger' of a 'major military confrontation' on multiple fronts in the Middle East.

Israel’s ambassador has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting to condemn the attack and designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.