UK forces ‘played their part’ in attempt to prevent further Middle East violence
British forces “played their part” in attempts to prevent further violence in the Middle East, the Defence Secretary has confirmed, after Sir Keir Starmer said he stands with Israel following an attack on the country by Iran.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, John Healey 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.”
Earlier the Prime Minister had said 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.
Statement
Meanwhile, Britons fleeing Lebanon were set to board a UK Government-chartered flight to safety on Wednesday.
Mr 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 on Israel this evening. pic.twitter.com/cj2R6o5Lfd
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 1, 2024
In a statement from Downing Street on Tuesday evening, Sir Keir 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,” 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 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 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 “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 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.
Condemnation
The attack on Israel by Iran has attracted condemnation from British political leaders.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned against a “cycle of escalation” and said it would be in “no-one’s interest”, while Conservative leader Rishi Sunak said “we stand unequivocally by Israel’s right to defend itself including against Hezbollah in Lebanon”.
Sir Keir spoke to other European leaders about the situation on Tuesday evening, condemning Iran’s attack and reiterating calls for a ceasefire in the region.
In a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “the leaders agreed that further escalation was in nobody’s interest and that all sides should show restraint”, a Downing Street spokesman said.
There was also a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, in which Downing Street said “the Prime Minister and president agreed that ensuring Israeli security was vital and that there was an urgent need for de-escalation, with all parties needing to show restraint”.
The Prime Minister also chaired a ministerial meeting in Downing Street on Tuesday on the situation in the Middle East.
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War is the art of keeping criminals in power these days it seems…
Yes, the terrorists state of Iran days are numbered it seems.
You’ll get no restraint or reason from radical Islamists: Iran’s stated aim is the destruction of the west and we should take it seriously. These loons need to be put back in their box and left to practice their barbaric 7th-century pseudo-religion in the confines of their own impoverished dung heaps.
Hasbara trolls even appear on these pages now.
Lammy ! A cycle of escalation must be avoided so show restraint or rain missiles down on Russia, make your mind up, man…
Israel has spent a year bombing Gaza to oblivion, killing at least 50,000 people. Israel has attacked Lebanon, Syria and Yemen but any response is ‘escalation’. I do not support Iran in any sense but you cannot be surprised at their response.
Iraq’s proxies have been bombing Northern Israel for over 40 years and since Oct 8th last year they have increased the volume and intensity of their attacks. You may not like Israel’s activity in Gaza in response to the Oct 7th atrocities (who does?) but to suggest they shouldn’t respond here is naive. Let’s not forgot Hezbollah are up there with Hamas for sheer brutality. Remember they sided with Bashar al-Assad in Syria and directly contributed to the death of over 500,000 Syrians and the displacement of millions more. They would see Israel and her citizens wiped off the map… Read more »
What is wrong with these people? Have their brains been addled by social media to the point where they see the world in simple terms of Good Guys and Bad Guys; and since the Iranians are obviously Bad Guys, that means the Israelis must be Good Guys? Do they genuinely think that if they keep parroting “Israel has the right to defend itself” while calling for restraint, this will somehow all just go away? Or are they still obsessed with proving that they’re not filthy lefty peaceniks: “Jeremy Corbyn wouldn’t have dragged Britain into a world war, so clearly we’ve… Read more »
These heads of state that lead their people into war need to be rounded up and slung into a cell to rot. The last thing sensible people want is a war. Most just want to live their lives peacefully. It’s amazing how the majority allow these minority of warmongers carry on. Anyone who talks in terms of war should be arrested and dealt with. They are all nutters.
“British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East,” said John Healey. Now, how exactly did they do that?
Was it by sending more weapons to Israel as a deterrent to the other side?
Was it by sending fewer weapons to Israel as a deterrent to them?
How is the deterrence principle doing these these days? Or does it only apply to nuclear weapons – which cannot be used?