PM weighs up military action in Iran conflict as Britons in Israel remain stranded ...Middle East

Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee meeting on Wednesday to discuss possible British support for US military action against Iran.

As Donald Trump held out the threat of targeting Tehran’s nuclear facilities with bunker-busting bombs, the Prime Minister, ministers and senior officials are understood to have discussed a range of scenarios for the UK response to the Middle East crisis.

RAF Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager refuelling aircraft began to arrive at the UK’s airbase at Akrotiri in Cyprus earlier this week, ahead of possible military involvement.

But the government has insisted it is still urging Israel and Iran to de-escalate the conflict.

The Cobra meeting is also expected to have addressed the situation with thousands of Britons currently in Israel who are unable to leave by plane due to airlines cancelling flights.

The Foreign Office is not urging Britons to leave the country if they are already there, but advising them to follow local instructions about using shelters in the event of incoming missile attack.

However Downing Street also suggested that if Britons did want to leave they could go by bus out of the country into Jordan or Egypt, where UK consular staff will be waiting to help them with their onward journey.

On Wednesday the Foreign Office began withdrawing the families of British embassy and consular staff currently in Israel, leading to questions why ordinary citizens were not being evacuated.

However it is understood that the FCDO believed it had a duty of care and that there was no real reason for families to be there, so they took the decision to remove them.

The department said the evacuation was temporary and a “precautionary measure”, with staff remaining at the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “Our embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem remain fully staffed and continue to provide consular services to those who require assistance.”

Britons currently in Israel have been asked to register their presence with the embassy, ahead of a possible evacuation from the country.

But Trump’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, wrote on X on Wednesday afternoon: “Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel – US Embassy in Israel is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures.”

At the G7 summit in Canada earlier this week, the Prime Minister insisted that the UK position was one of contingency support.

The UK is not expected to take part in any offensive military action against Iran – which the Tehran regime has warned would trigger retaliation against those countries that supported Tel Aviv. But ministers have not ruled out helping Israel in self-defence, which could include RAF planes playing a supporting role in any US operation.

It is understood that the number of Britons who have registered their presence with the embassy in Israel is in the low thousands so far.

They are being urged to listen to local advice on threat level to inform their decisions.

Despite Britons not being asked to leave, people outside the country are being advised by the Foreign Office not to travel to Israel or Iran.

The UK is in discussions with airlines in neighbouring countries to ensure there is capacity for people who want to leave to get out.

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Advice could change if Israeli airspace reopens and people can get flights out.

It is understood that the number of Britons who are crossing the border into Jordan is in the low tens.

A No 10 spokesman would only say that the Government’s “key message” was to “follow the advice of local authorities on staying close to shelter”.

The Number 10 spokesman added: “This is a fast-moving situation. We are keeping all our advice under constant review and the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) continues to plan for a variety of developments, as you would expect.”

Starmer had insisted earlier this week that Mr Trump was interested in de-escalation in the Middle East, saying “nothing” he had heard from the president suggested Washington was poised to get involved.

Asked whether the Prime Minister was confident that Trump would not involve US forces in the conflict, a Number 10 spokesman said the UK’s position was still that “we want to de-escalate rather than escalate”.

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