UK's RAF deployed to Middle East after Iran issues threat to nation
Britain last night ordered military reinforcements to be sent to the Middle East as war raged between Iran and Israel – despite bloodcurdling warnings from Tehran not to meddle in the conflict. Sir Keir Starmer ordered the dep loyment of fast jets and refuelling aircraft from UK bases to bolster UK forces just hours after Iran's state-owned Mehr news agency had warned: 'Any country that participates in repelling Iranian attacks on Israel will be subject to Iranian forces targeting all regional bases of the complicit government'.
But Israel, in turn, vowed that unless Iran's missile blitz was halted : 'Tehran will burn'. Speaking to reporters en route to the G7 summit in Canada, the Prime Minister refused to rule out taking further steps in a 'fast-moving' and 'intense' security situation.
He said: 'I will always make the right decisions for the UK and our allies. We are moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support in the region. I will be clear-eyed in relation to our duties and obligations and my duties as Prime Minister.' Asked if the UK would help Israel stop the attacks, he replied: 'These are obviously operational decisions and the situation is ongoing and developing'. Britain already has fighter jets in the Middle East as part of an operation to counter threats in Iraq and Syria.
Sir Keir's announcement came as Iran and Israel continued to trade missiles and airstrikes yesterday, a day after Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a devastating air offensive aimed at smashing Tehran's nuclear weapons programme. Israeli hit more than 400 targets in the past 24 hours as part of Operation Rising Lion, including dozens of missile sites and air defence systems in Tehran. They killed more than 20 army and Revolutionary Guards commanders, including armed forces chief Mohammad Bagheri amd and intelligence chief Gholamreza Mehrabi. Tel Aviv also claimed nine nuclear scientists were among the dead. And around 60 people, including 20 children, were reportedly killed in an attack on a housing complex in Tehran, according to Iranian state TV.
Meanwhile, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump discussed the hostilities in a 50-minute phone call, with Putin condemning the Israeli attacks. Mr Netanyahu said the strikes had set back Iran's nuclear programme by years but he rejected international calls for restraint, saying attacks would intensify. 'We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,' said the Israeli Prime Minister. 'We have paved a path to Tehran. In the very near future, you will see Israeli planes, the Israeli air force, our pilots, over the skies of Tehran.'
Last night, it was also reported that Ali Shamkhani, Iran's top adviser to its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died in hospital a day after being wounded in the first night of Israeli airstrikes. Shamkhani had previously served as Iran's top national security official for a decade and was seen as a rising star of Iranian diplomacy, having represented Iran in talks which sealed a landmark agreement to restore diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia. In a statement, Israel's military said: 'Since the beginning of the operation [on Friday], over 20 commanders in the Iranian regime's security apparatus have been eliminated.'
The targets also included Iran's Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites, where Israel claimed nine senior scientists were killed. An Israeli official said it would take more than a few weeks for Iran to repair the damage at the two sites. Iran later responded by saying only three of its scientists had been killed. They were named by Tasnim, the semi-official news agency, as Ali Bakaei Karimi, Mansour Asgari and Saeid Borji. Across Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them. At least three people were killed overnight. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. The wounded included Croatia's consul in Israel and his wife, who suffered only minor injuries.
Defence minister Israel Katz warned: 'The Iranian dictator [Ayatollah Khamenei] is taking the citizens of Iran hostage, bringing about a reality in which they, and especially Tehran's residents, will pay a heavy price for the flagrant harm inflicted upon Israel's citizens. If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn'. Mr Trump applauded Israel's strikes and warned that much worse was to come unless Iran quickly accepted the sharp downgrading of its nuclear programme. Mr Netanyahu sent effusive 79th birthday wishes to Mr Trump, saying: 'You've been an extraordinary leader, decisive, courageous, with a clear vision and clear action. You have done great things for Israel.' He added that Israel was striking a blow for the free world, saying: 'Our enemy is your enemy and what we're doing, we're dealing with something that will threaten all of us sooner or later. Our victory will be your victory.'
Gulf Arab states that have long mistrusted Iran but fear coming under attack in any wider conflict have urged calm. Meanwhile, worries about disruption to the region's crucial oil exports caused the price of crude oil to soar. Those fears intensified yesterday when Iranian general Esmail Kosari said Iran was reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz, the exit point for oil shipped from the Gulf. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. But, it has repeatedly hidden some parts from international inspectors, and on Thursday it was judged to be in violation of the treaty.
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