KEIR Starmer has said he stands with Israel following an attack on the country by Iran.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister said Iran has “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,” Starmer (below) said.
Iran said it launched the strikes in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week.
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.
Starmer continued: “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.”
He added that he was “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink” and “deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation”.
He urged British citizens 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 per 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.
We previously told how the Foreign Office was panned for “disgusting” efforts to evacuate UK citizens from Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary John Healey has said British forces “played their part” in attempts to prevent further violence in the Middle East.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Healey (below) said he “completely condemn(s) Iran’s attack against Israel”.
“British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East,” he added.
“I want to thank all British personnel involved in the operation for their courage and professionalism.”
It is understood RAF jets were involved in the efforts to intercept the Iranian missiles targeted at Iran.
The operation was similar to the role carried out by the UK’s forces when Iran launched a drone and cruise missile barrage at Israel in April, when RAF Typhoons were involved in the defensive effort.
Healey is set to visit Cyprus to meet troops who are preparing for the possibility of evacuating British citizens from Lebanon.
