Britain stands with Israel after attack by Iran, says Keir Starmer

The Prime Minister said Tehran has ‘menaced the Middle East for far too long’ and called on the country to ‘stop these attacks’.

Sir Keir Starmer delivers a statement on the situation in the Middle East from 10 Downing Street (Benjamin Cremel/PA) (PA Wire)

Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain stands with Israel and supports the “reasonable demand for the security of its people” after an attack on the country by Iran.

The Prime Minister said he was “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink” and once again urged British nationals in Lebanon to leave.

In the statement from Downing Street on Tuesday evening, Sir Keir said Tehran 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,” 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.”

The attack on Israel began while Sir Keir was talking to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Downing Street said earlier.

In his statement on Tuesday evening, Sir Keir said he was “deeply concerned that the region is on the brink and I am 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”.

Sir Keir added: “So if you have the means to leave, the time is now. Do not wait.”

Iran said it fired dozens of missiles into Israel on Tuesday, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Tehran said it launched the strikes in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week.

The attack on Israel by Iran has attracted condemnation from British political leaders.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has warned against a “cycle of escalation” and said that it would be in “no-one’s interest”.

“Today I warned Iran against taking action that could push the region further towards the brink,” he said in a message on social media.

Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak said that “we stand unequivocally by Israel’s right to defend itself including against Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

The Prime Minister chaired a ministerial meeting in Downing Street on Tuesday on the situation in the Middle East, and spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The Prime Minister condemned Iran’s attack on Israel today in the strongest terms, which began during the leaders’ conversation,” a Downing Street spokesperson said, “and expressed the UK’s steadfast commitment to Israeli security and the protection of civilians.”