The British Government has renewed its support for Israel in recent days, after Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack against the Middle Eastern nation.
On Saturday, Tehran launched more than 300 drones and missiles against the Israeli territory.
The attack didn’t create widespread devastation nor kill anybody as most of the weapons were intercepted and shot down.
Alongside the work carried out by Israeli defence systems, the US and the UK also deployed fighter jets to shoot down a number of attack drones.
Jordan, one of the Arab countries allied to Israel, also intercepted some of the drones crossing over its territory.
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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, one of the world leaders to condemn Iran’s attack, spoke about the supporting role played by Britain on Saturday night.
He said on Sunday: “Thanks to an international co-ordinated effort, which the UK participated in, almost all of these missiles were intercepted, saving lives not just in Israel but in neighbouring countries like Jordan as well.”
He added that the UK sent “additional planes” to the region as part of operations already underway in Iraq and Syria.
Mr Sunak continued: “I can confirm that our planes did shoot down a number of Iranian attack drones.”
Iran said the attack was in retaliation to the April 1 strike against one of its consular buildings in Damascus, Syria, which killed seven members of the Iranian military. Israel did not acknowledge its responsibility in this attack, while Iran blamed the country for it.
Tehran has said, through its permanent mission at the UN, it considers the matter closed following its strike on the weekend. However, the country has also said it will not hesitate to respond to a counter-attack from Israel.
Following two meetings of the Israeli war cabinet, the country’s military chief of staff Herzi Halevi said on Monday that “this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response”. He gave no details on what the action could look like.
While the US and the UK were quick to react in defence of Israel amid the threat coming from Iran, they have now joined other Western nations in urging Jerusalem to de-escalate tensions rather than respond with another military action.
US President Joe Biden has reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Washington will not join an offensive counter-strike, Politico reported citing two sources.
Now Express.co.uk is asking its readers whether they think Britain should instead support Israel in a possible retaliatory move against Iran.
Tyler Mitchell