Britain has issued a warning against all travel to Israel as tensions between Israel and Iran escalated with a fresh wave of missile strikes from both sides.
As Donald Trump called for the two countries to make a deal to end the fighting, the UK Foreign Office updated its travel advice to say that it now advises against travel to any part of Israel.
The US president had earlier threatened to respond with “the full strength and might of the US armed forces” after Iran threatened to attack bases operated by the US, the UK and France if these countries stepped in to defend Israel.
And a defiant Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned as he visited Bat Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv that was hit by deadly strikes, that Iran would be punished for causing the deaths of Israeli civilians.
“Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children,” Mr Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves was forced to state that Britain is not at war despite the UK sending more RAF jets to the Middle East. But with at least 10 people having been killed in Israel, and millions hiding from the onslaught in bomb shelters across the country, the chancellor said Britain could offer military support for its ally as it fends off Iran’s attacks.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Ms Reeves said: “We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in. So far, we haven’t been involved, and we’re sending in assets both to protect ourselves and also, potentially, to support our allies.”
She added: “It’s very early days, and things are moving quickly, but when we urge for de-escalation in the region, that is in part because of the lives at risk... but also because what happens in the Middle East affects us here at home.”
With Israel saying it plans to escalate its campaign, Ms Reeves warned that the impact of the conflict would be felt by families in the UK, with the situation pushing up oil prices and threatening to block key trade routes.
The UK’s travel ban puts Israel in the same category as Iran, as foreign secretary David Lammy told Britons: “Your safety remains our top priority.”
Updating its travel advice, the Foreign Office said: “Iran has launched multiple rounds of missile and drone attacks against Israel. On 13 June, a nationwide state of emergency was declared in Israel. This followed Israeli strikes against nuclear and military facilities in Iran. Israeli airspace remains closed.
“We recognise this is a fast-moving situation that poses significant risks. The situation has the potential to deteriorate further, quickly and without warning. The current situation has disrupted air links out of the country and may disrupt road links.”
Pressed on whether the UK would repatriate citizens stuck in Israel following the closure of Tel Aviv’s airport and the mass diversion and cancellation of flights, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said there were no plans to do so, but it was being kept under review.
The conflict was sparked when Iran launched missile and drone strikes against Israel overnight on Friday in response to a series of Israeli attacks at the heart of Tehran’s nuclear programme and armed forces. This followed weeks of escalating tensions between the countries over Iran’s nuclear programme. In the dramatic scenes that have since unfolded, smoke has been seen rising above Tehran and Tel Aviv, with air-raid sirens sounding across central Israel and the Jerusalem area on Sunday.
In a sign that a deal to end the conflict is some way off, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel “will strike the sites and continue to peel the skin off the Iranian snake in Tehran and everywhere, stripping it of nuclear capabilities and weapons systems”.
An official said Israel still had a long list of targets in Iran, and declined to say how long the attacks would go on for.
Meanwhile, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s responses will become “more decisive and severe” if Israel’s attacks continue.
In a call for de-escalation, President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal... we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!”
That followed a post late on Saturday night in which Mr Trump warned: “If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!”
It comes as world leaders, including Mr Trump, Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, are gathered in Canada for a crunch G7 summit, which now looks set to be dominated by the conflict in the Middle East.
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