British forces involved in response to Iranian attacks on Israel

British forces have been involved in supporting Israel in the Middle East conflict after Iran launched a missile attack on the country.

Defense Secretary John Healey, who is traveling to Cyprus to visit personnel stationed on the island, said British forces had “played their part to prevent further escalation,” without giving further details.

The BBC believes that British warplanes were involved, as they were in April when Iran last attacked Israel with missiles.

Reply on Tuesday Iran’s attackPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK “stands with Israel” and recognizes its right to self-defence.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired the rockets in retaliation for recent attacks that killed the leaders of the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas as well as a senior Iranian commander.

Israel said most of the 180 rockets fired were intercepted.

Healey thanked the British employees involved for their courage and professionalism.

“The UK fully supports Israel’s right to defend its land and people against threats.”

During Healey’s visit to Cyprus he will meet some British staff who are preparing for the possibility of evacuating British nationals from Lebanon.

Britons in Lebanon have been advised to register their presence with officials on the government website and a British-chartered plane is scheduled to leave Beirut on Wednesday.

But some told the BBC They had not received confirmation or details of their booking on the government-chartered flight, even though they had paid for a seat.

British citizen Libby, 25, was about to board a scheduled flight from Beirut to Cairo on Wednesday morning and described the situation in the Lebanese capital as “terrifying”.

“You can’t sleep because you hear the Israeli drones over your head, you wake up at night because you hear strikes,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

In April British fighter jets have shot down a number of drones fired from Iran toward Israel.

The drones were intercepted by the RAF in Syrian and Iraqi airspace, where they were already deployed as part of Operation Shader against the Islamic State terrorist militia.

The decision to deploy jets in April was made by the previous Conservative government and supported then and since by Sir Keir.

Sir Keir used the Downing Street address to condemn Iran’s attack on Israel and said he was “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink”.

“We stand with Israel and recognize its right to self-defense in the face of this aggression,” he said.

He called on Iran to stop its attacks, adding: “Together with its proxies like Hezbollah, Iran has threatened the Middle East for far too long, and not only Israel, but also the people they serve in Lebanon and beyond life, brought chaos and destruction.” .

“Make no mistake, Britain stands firmly against this violence. We support Israel’s reasonable demand for the security of its people.”

Sir Keir was on the phone with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu when the Iranian attacks began.

The two men had been discussing the possible missile launches by Tehran for about 15 minutes when Netanyahu had to cut short the conversation because he had been told the attacks were underway.

During her call, Sir Keir also stressed the importance of a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.

Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak said: “We fully stand by Israel’s right to defend itself, including against Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

In his statement, the Prime Minister reiterated his advice to British nationals to leave Lebanon and warned that the situation was becoming “increasingly serious”.

He added: “If you have the opportunity to leave, now is the time. Don’t wait.”

Last week, between 4,000 and 6,000 British nationals, including family members, were believed to be in Lebanon.

The rocket attack came hours after Israel launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon that it described as “limited, localized and targeted” attacks against Hezbollah.

Lebanese officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,000 people in the past two weeks. Hezbollah responded by firing hundreds of rockets into northern Israel.

Previously sporadic cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on October 8, 2023 – a day after the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip – when Hezbollah fired on Israeli positions in solidarity with the Palestinians.