Rishi Sunak condemns Iran's 'reckless' drone attack and says UK supports Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Israeli people

Rishi Sunak condemned Iran's “reckless” attack on Israel “in the strongest terms” ” and said the UK “will defend Israel's security.”

The Prime Minister said the strikes risked “destabilizing” the Middle East and that Britain would work with its allies to “prevent further escalation.”

In a statement released on Saturday evening, Mr Sunak said: “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the Iranian regime’s reckless attack on Israel.”

“These strikes risk increasing tensions and destabilizing the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is determined to wreak havoc in its own backyard.

“The UK will continue to defend the security of Israel and all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq.”

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“Together with our allies, we are urgently working to stabilize the situation and prevent further escalation. Nobody wants more bloodshed.”

Earlier in the day, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said he had spoken with Israeli minister Benny Gantz to “discuss our shared concerns about Iranian threats to attack Israel.” “.

The Foreign Secretary tweeted:

I spoke with @gantzbe today to discuss our shared concerns about Iranian threats to attack Israel. .

Further escalation in the region is not in anyone's interests and risks further civilian casualties.

The UK will continue to work with our partners to support regional security.

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 13, 2024

Lord Cameron formally warned Iran against attacking Israel last week.

< p> On Thursday he said he had told Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, “that Iran should not drag the Middle East into a broader conflict.”

He said he was “deeply concerned about the potential for a miscalculation leading to further violence.”

Responding to news of the Iranian attack, Alicia Kearns, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said it was a “very dangerous moment.”

“Iran often presents his activities as a response to humiliation, in this case the bombing of his consulate,” she said.

“Usually his reaction is limited to a single action, which, in their opinion, is proportional to the small suffering, but it is felt differently.

“Let's hope the attack is prevented and no one is killed, de-escalation is vital for the good of the entire region.”