Rishi Sunak urges restraint after Iran attack on Israel
Rishi Sunak has called on "all sides" to "show restraint" after Iran's attack on Israel on Saturday.
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| Rishi Sunak urges restraint after Iran attack on Israel |
The PM said he would speak to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to express solidarity and also discuss how to prevent "further escalation".
Mr Sunak told MPs Iran's actions had been "reckless and dangerous".
Tehran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation for a deadly air strike on its consulate in Damascus.
Israel said 99% of the projectiles had been intercepted with help from allies - including the US, UK and Jordan.
In a statement in the House of Commons, Mr Sunak confirmed the RAF had intercepted "a number of Iranian drones" and said the air force was "the best of the best".
He said Iran had "once again shown its true colours" and its attack had been intent on "further destabilising the Middle East".
"Saturday's attack was the act not of the people but of a despotic regime, and it is emblematic of the dangers that we face today," Mr Sunak said, adding that threats to stability were "growing, not just in the Middle East but everywhere".
He said the UK was "working urgently with our allies to de-escalate the situation and prevent further bloodshed".
"We want to see calmer heads prevail and we're directing all our diplomatic efforts to that end," Mr Sunak said.
Turning to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, he said "nothing that has happened over the last 48 hours affects our position on Gaza".
Mr Sunak said it was "Israel's right, and indeed it's duty, to defeat the threat from Hamas" but also reiterated his calls for a "long-term and sustainable ceasefire".
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he "welcomed the prime minister's call for restraint" and that the attack "left the world a more dangerous place".
He added: "If diplomacy takes centre stage, and it must, then we also need to be clear diplomatic premises should not be targeted and attacked. That is a point of principle."
The strike on Iran's consulate in Syria on 1 April killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers officers, including a top commander.
The Iranian government has accused Israel of carrying out that attack, but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron told the BBC the UK had joined Israel's defence against Iran in order to prevent an escalation of the conflict.
He said the attack - which he described as a "double defeat" for Iran because it had been "almost wholly unsuccessful" and also showed they were a "malign influence in the region" - could have resulted in thousands of casualties and led to greater escalation had it been successful.
Lord Cameron urged Israel to be "smart" and "tough" as it considers its response.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the former prime minister added that Israel should turn its focus once more to the situation in Gaza and securing a deal to get the hostages home.
Source: BBC