British forces were involved in thwarting Iran’s missile attack against Israel, the UK’s defence secretary has suggested.
In a carefully worded statement on Tuesday night, John Healey said: “British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East.”
The statement did not go into military details on how British forces may have helped combat the barrage of 180 ballistic missiles launched by Iran in an attack that caused limited damage.
US defence officials confirmed that US destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea took down multiple missiles launched by Iran. And, following a similar attack by Iran on Israel in April, it was later confirmed that RAF Typhoons, from the Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus, had shot down Iranian drones.
Healey is visiting Cyprus to meet troops who are preparing for the possibility of evacuating British citizens from Lebanon.
I completely condemn Iran’s attack against Israel. pic.twitter.com/V00WYVTWm9
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) October 1, 2024
The prime minister, Keir Starmer, said on Tuesday night he was “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink”, and again urged British nationals in Lebanon to leave amid escalating violence in the Middle East.
In a televised statement from Downing Street, Starmer said Iran had “menaced the Middle East for far too long” and called on the country to “stop these attacks”.
“We stand with Israel and we recognise her right to self-defence in the face of this aggression,” he said.
“Iran must stop these attacks. Together with its proxies like Hezbollah, Iran has menaced the Middle East for far too long, chaos and destruction brought not just to Israel, but to the people they live amongst in Lebanon and beyond.
“Make no mistake, Britain stands full square against such violence. We support Israel’s reasonable demand for the security of its people.”
Iran said it launched the strikes in retaliation for the killing of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut last week, the Associated Press reported.
The escalation came after Israel began a ground offensive in Lebanon, carrying out what it described as “limited, localised” operations.
The Iranian attack on Israel began while Starmer was talking to Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday, Downing Street said earlier.
In his statement on Tuesday evening, Starmer said he was “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink” and “deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation”.
He repeated the advice for Britons in Lebanon to leave and said: “We’re doing everything we can to get people out, but the situation is extremely volatile.”
A chartered flight to get Britons out of the country is due to depart from Beirut-Rafic Hariri international airport on Wednesday, at a cost of £350 a seat.
Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines, the only commercial operator still flying from Beirut, has a regular scheduled flight to the UK leaving on Wednesday.
The attack on Israel by Iran has attracted condemnation from British political leaders.
