Keir Starmer has urged Iran not to respond after Israel launched a series of airstrikes on military sites in Iran overnight, saying the Middle East needs to “avoid further regional escalation”.
At a news conference in Samoa, the prime minister said: “I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself from Iranian aggression. I am equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all parties to show restraint. Iran should not respond.
“We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation throughout the region.”
The government said it was closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East after the attacks early Saturday.
The attacks did not target nuclear or oil facilities, two Israeli officials confirmed to Related Press.
A spokesman for Number 10 said on Saturday morning that the government supported “Israel's right to self-defence and to protect itself online”, as long as it adheres to “international humanitarian law”.
“Further escalation benefits no one,” the statement said.
Israel said its planes “striked missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the past year.”
Iran said the airstrikes targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, causing “limited damage.”
In Syria, the state news agency Sana, citing an unnamed military official, reported that “rains of missiles from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan and Lebanese territories targeted some military sites in the southern and central regions” at first. Saturday time. He said Syria's air defenses had shot down some of the missiles.
In a videotaped statement shared on social media early Saturday morning, Israeli military spokesman Republican Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “The Iranian regime and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since the October 7… including direct attacks from Iranian soil. .
“Like any other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.”
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Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Related Press that there was no US involvement in Israel's operation against Iran.
Israel had vowed to hit Iran hard after an Iranian missile bombardment on October 1. The United States said in a statement that Israel's latest attack on Iran should now “complete” the exchange of fire between the two enemy states.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to discuss the Israeli attack on Iran, reaffirming the United States' commitment to Israel's security and its right to self-defense.
According to a statement from the United States Department of Defense, Austin reiterated his “ironclad” stance to defend American personnel, Israel and its partners throughout the Middle East “in the face of threats from Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist organizations.” and from the United States. determination to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region.”
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