UK readies charter flights out of Tel Aviv as Middle East crisis spirals

Britons stranded in Israel will be evacuated on charter flights as soon as the airspace reopens amid spiralling conflict in the Middle East, the Government has said.

Downing Street urged UK citizens in the region to register their presence with the Foreign Office as authorities scramble to provide journeys out of Tel Aviv.

Number 10 said on Friday morning the situation remains “fast-moving” and it will continue to be monitored closely.

A spokesman added: “We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights.”

‘Demand’

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said work is under way to provide the flights “based on levels of demand” from UK citizens who want to leave the region.

“The UK will provide charter flights for British nationals from Tel Aviv when airspace reopens,” he said.

“The safety of British nationals remains our top priority.”

Government advice for British nationals in the country remains to follow local guidance, as well as to let officials know about their presence within Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Land routes out of Israel remain open and British staff are on hand to support UK nationals who have crossed the border, he added.

The move follows criticism of the Foreign Office’s initial response, which saw family members of embassy staff evacuated while UK citizens were not advised to leave and told to follow local guidance.

Precautionary measure

The Government said the move to temporarily withdraw family members had been a “precautionary measure”.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer continues to press for de-escalation in the region after returning from the G7 summit in Canada, where he and other leaders reiterated their commitment to “peace and stability”.

The Prime Minister has also urged Donald Trump to step back from military action against Iran after a series of sabre-rattling posts from the US president on his Truth Social platform.

Sir Keir said there is a “real risk of escalation” in the conflict, adding that there had previously been “several rounds of discussions” with Washington and “that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue”.

Rasht

Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported.

Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group called Human Rights Activists.

Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds more have been injured.

According to the Israeli government, some 22,000 tourists are seeking to board evacuation flights. It is unclear how many of these may be UK citizens.

It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation US intervention could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands.

B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised “bunker buster” bombs, which could be used against Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Fordo.

Legal concerns

Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily.

Earlier, Mr Lammy arrived in Geneva for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

He is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before Mr Trump decides whether to take military action against Tehran.

In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, the US president said there is still “a substantial chance of negotiations” and he will make a decision on deploying US forces “within the next two weeks”.

Mr Trump had previously said he “may” join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: “I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

Friday’s meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy’s visit to Washington, where he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss “how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict”.