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| UK government says it gave no military support for Israel’s attack on Iran | UK government says it gave no military support for Israel’s attack on Iran |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| PM calls for de-escalation as No 10 also indicates RAF did not take any part in downing retaliatory Iranian drones | PM calls for de-escalation as No 10 also indicates RAF did not take any part in downing retaliatory Iranian drones |
| Middle East crisis – live updates | Middle East crisis – live updates |
| Britain did not provide military support to Israel’s attack on Iran or help down Iranian drones, the UK government has said, as Keir Starmer called for all parties to urgently de-escalate. | |
| The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “The UK did not participate in Israel’s strikes overnight,” and indicated that the RAF had not taken part in any military action to knock out Iranian drones attacking Israel in a counterattack launched by Tehran in the morning. | |
| The US has also said it was not involved in the attack on Iran, describing the Israeli action as unilateral, and it warned Iran and its allies not to target US interests or personnel in the region. | |
| The UK was involved in Israel’s defence in April 2024, when RAF Typhoons shot down drones fired by Iran, and to a more limited extent in October 2024, during a ballistic missile attack by Tehran. | |
| There has been a hardening of the British line on Israel, with ministers having condemned its aid blockade of Gaza and placed sanctions on two members of the Israeli government. | |
| Starmer said on Friday: “The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.” | |
| Sarah Jones, the industry minister, told Sky News that the government was “doing everything we can to urge restraint and to try and de-escalate the situation”. | |
| Israel said on Friday it had attacked the targets inside Iran because Tehran had begun to build nuclear warheads. With Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, threatening “severe punishment”, the Israeli military said on Friday it was trying to intercept 100 drones that Iran had launched against it. | Israel said on Friday it had attacked the targets inside Iran because Tehran had begun to build nuclear warheads. With Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, threatening “severe punishment”, the Israeli military said on Friday it was trying to intercept 100 drones that Iran had launched against it. |
| As world leaders called for restraint on both sides, British ministers and officials met on Friday morning to decide their response. People briefed on those meetings said in the early morning the UK had decided not to help shoot down the drones or intervene militarily, only for the position to become less clear later. | |
| Britain has justified previous interventions on the grounds it was coming to Israel’s defence, providing a small contribution alongside US and Jordanian air forces. The US said it shot down 70 drones in April 2024. | |
| Since then the British government has become increasingly angered by Israel’s actions, especially in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have killed scores of Palestinians trying to access humanitarian aid. | Since then the British government has become increasingly angered by Israel’s actions, especially in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have killed scores of Palestinians trying to access humanitarian aid. |
| Speaking at the Scottish Conservatives’ conference on Friday, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said she agreed with Israel’s strikes on Iran and that the UK “should not be confused about whose side we’re on”. | |
| Badenoch said: “We cannot have Iran getting nuclear weapons. Iran has tried to carry out terrorist attacks on our soil. Let’s be very clear, Iran getting nuclear weapons would be destructive for the UK, so yes [I agree with Israel’s attacks].” | |
| Asked whether she disagreed with calls by Starmer to de-escalate the conflict, she said: “Things do need to de-escalate, but if Israel sees Iran getting nuclear weapons, I don’t think he should sit back and put his feet up and say ‘well, we’re de-escalating’, because the country that will escalate is Iran, and that would be absolutely disastrous for the entire world.” | |
| She added: “This is not an area where we should be confused about whose side we’re on, and we can’t just assume that warm words are going to stop Iran from doing something that would destroy our way of life.” | |
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| In a coordinated response, European leaders called for immediate de-escalation on Friday and urged against retaliation. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, described the Israeli attacks as “deeply alarming”. She said a diplomatic resolution was “more urgent than ever” for regional stability and global security. | |
| Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, echoed the call, saying Berlin would use “all available diplomatic means” to avoid escalation. The aim must remain “that Iran not develop any nuclear weapons”, he said. | |
| France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, also appealed for restraint and said Paris had “repeatedly condemned” Iran’s nuclear programme. In that context, Macron said, France “reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself and ensure its security”. | |
| Macron, Merz and Starmer spoke by telephone on Friday morning and agreed to remain “in close contact”, Berlin said. | |
| The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said he had called his Israeli counterpart to urge de-escalation and would make the same request to Iran’s foreign minister later. “I will insist on support for diplomacy,” Tajani told Italian TV. | The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said he had called his Israeli counterpart to urge de-escalation and would make the same request to Iran’s foreign minister later. “I will insist on support for diplomacy,” Tajani told Italian TV. |
| Some leaders were openly critical of Israel’s actions. The Spanish deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz accused the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of “dragging the world towards an escalation of war”. She called for “respect for international law, immediate sanctions against the Israeli regime and a multilateral route toward a just and lasting peace”. | Some leaders were openly critical of Israel’s actions. The Spanish deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz accused the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of “dragging the world towards an escalation of war”. She called for “respect for international law, immediate sanctions against the Israeli regime and a multilateral route toward a just and lasting peace”. |
| Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, described the attacks as a “clear provocation” and said Netanyahu “and his massacre network” were “setting our entire region and the world on fire”. |