British forces ‘played their part’ in largely thwarting Iran

Fears that the Middle East could be plunged into an all-out war are growing today after Israel vowed to strike ‘powerfully’ in response to Iran unleashing a barrage of nearly 200 missiles at them last night. The UK reaffirmed its commitment to defending Israel by revealing that British forces ‘played their part’ in largely thwarting Iran as the West desperately scrambles to prevent the Middle Eastern conflict from escalating even further. The Prime Minister, who was on the phone with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu when the Iranian attack began, said: ‘I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink and I am deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation.’

In a rare urgent statement from Downing Street, Sir Keir Starmer also warned Brits to evacuate Lebanon, where Israeli forces launched a ground invasion on Iran-backed Hezbollah targets on Monday night. At least five Israeli strikes reportedly hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early this morning, with the world holding its breath as the IDF prepares to unleash a ‘powerful’ response. Israel’s defence system last night stood firm as Iran launched warheads towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in revenge for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, including the assassination of its leader last week. In a major escalation by Iran, 181 missiles began raining down on Israel, with some rockets dramatically exploding into bright orange flames near Tel Aviv as air raid sirens sounded. But as Iran unleashed a salvo of missiles, ordered by its supreme leader Ali Khamenei, falling projectiles burned like comets against the night sky after the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ defensive system.

The US has confirmed that its troops helped down the incoming missiles, with the UK also revealing British forces ‘played their part’. Defence Secretary John Healey ‘condemned’ Iran’s attack, adding: ‘British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East.’ MailOnline understands that the UK played a similar role to when it defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April. On this occasion, RAF fighter jets shot down a number of drones, with support from several other countries including the US. It comes as: Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon overnight on Monday with the aim of driving Hezbollah forces away from the border; The operation will be ‘limited’ and last for ‘days, not weeks’, Israeli officials told the US; British nationals scrambled to escape the war-torn country, with the UK government chartering an aircraft from Beirut today; Two terrorists armed with an assault rifle and a knife killed six people in the Jaffa neighbourhood of Tel Aviv minutes before the Iranian missile attack.

Mr Healey added: ‘I want to thank all British personnel involved in the operation for their courage and professionalism. The UK stands fully behind Israel’s right to defend its country and its people against threats.’ The expected assault, hailed as ‘heroic’ by Iran-backed Hamas, marks a major escalation in the Middle East, and was ‘twice the scope’ of Tehran’s bombardment in April, which saw more than 170 explosive drones and 120 ballistic missiles launched. The sickening attack, which Israel has vowed to exact revenge for, forced civilians to seek shelter as huge chunks of molten metal crashed to the ground. In a major embarrassment for Iran, the US said that the missile volley was ‘defeated and ineffective’, with just one reported death – a Palestinian man who was killed by shrapnel in the West Bank. Despite Iran claiming a new type of hypersonic missile was also used for the first time, IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there were no Israeli casualties and just a few hits in the centre of the country and in the south. ‘We are on high alert both defensively and offensively,’ Hagari said in a TV broadcast. ‘We will defend the citizens of the State of Israel. This attack will have consequences. We have plans, and we will operate at the place and time we decide.’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran’s massive missile attack on Israel ‘a big mistake’ and vowed to make Tehran ‘pay for it’. ‘Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,’ said Netanyahu hours after the attack, warning: ‘Whoever attacks us, we attack them.’ In a separate statement, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who was at the command and control centre monitoring the interception of Iranian missiles, also vowed to punish Iran for the attack. ‘Iran has not learned a simple lesson – those who attack the state of Israel, pay a heavy price,’ he said in a statement issued by his office. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the ‘significant escalation by Iran’, but added: ‘In short, this attack seems to have been defeated and ineffective’. With the world holding its breath over an all-out war in the Middle East, the White House said President Joe Biden had ordered the US military to ‘aid Israel’s defence’ and shoot down Iranian missiles.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee in next month’s US presidential election, were both monitoring Iran’s attack on Israel from the White House situation room. The US had earlier warned that it was preparing for Iran to launch ballistic missiles in yet another major escalation in the Middle East. These can reach their targets in just 12 minutes. Some 181 missiles were fired into Israel in what Iran confirmed was a revenge attack for Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Iran claimed that 80 per cent of the missiles hit their targets, but the US and Israel have said the attack appears to have been ineffective. Footage online does appear to show that some of Iran’s targets were hit, while some buildings had their windows smashed. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said its ‘Fattah’ hypersonic missile, which translates as ‘conqueror’ or ‘bringer of victory’ in Arabic, was part of the salvo.

The salvo of rockets, seen raining down on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, came as Israeli police battled a terrorist attack in Jaffa, southern Israel, with Israeli media reporting that at least six people were shot dead. The attack on Israel comes just hours after the IDF launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon to carry out raids against Iranian-backed Hezbollah targets. As missiles bombarded Israel, the IDF said: ‘A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel. You are instructed to remain alert and precisely follow the Home Front Command’s instructions. The IDF is doing and will do everything necessary to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.’ In a chilling warning of further bloodshed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that should Israel retaliate Tehran’s response would be ‘more crushing and ruinous’. They added: ‘In response to the martyrdom of (Hamas leader) Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and (Guards commander) Nilforoshan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories (Israel).’ But this statement was followed by a defiant announcement by Israel that its fighter jets are poised to attack other targets in the Middle East ‘in a powerful way’.

Hamas also praised Iran’s missile attack, releasing the statement: ‘The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) blesses the heroic rocket launches carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran against wide areas of our occupied lands.’ It added that it was ‘in revenge for the blood of our heroic martyrs’. On Tuesday night, it appeared almost the entirety of the Iranian missiles were intercepted, either by Israel’s allies, or by its own network of defensive systems such as the Iron Dome. A military spokesperson said Israel recorded ‘a few hits in the centre and other areas in the south of the country’. One Palestinian was reported to have been killed near the West Bank city of Jericho when a projectile landed nearby during the rocket barrage, said Hussein Hamayel, the Palestinian governor of the area. He said the man, originally from Gaza, was killed by falling shrapnel. US Navy destroyers deployed to the eastern Mediterranean took down multiple missiles, according to security sources, while Israel’s neighbour Jordan came to its aid. Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said its air defences and the Royal Jordanian Air Force had intercepted Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Israel.

A large-scale attack by Iran on Israel could now be the catalyst for an all-out war in the Middle East. In the UK, Downing Street said it ‘completely condemns Iran’s actions’. In a rare emergency briefing, Sir Keir Stamer said he ‘utterly condemned’ Iran’s attempt ‘to harm innocent Israelis’ and ‘push the region ever-closer to the brink’. He said: ‘We stand with Israel, and recognise her right to self defence in the face of this aggression. Iran must stop these attacks, together with its proxies like Hezbollah.’ The PM added: ‘We support Israel’s reasonable demand for the security of its people. ‘I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink and I am deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation.’ He said the situation in Lebanon ‘is incredibly grave’ and warned British nationals to leave immediately. Overnight, at least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Lebanese security source said, as the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah sites and issued several evacuation orders. “At least five Israeli strikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs,” the source said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

AFP correspondents heard multiple explosions and saw smoke rising in one area while a fire appeared to burn. The Israeli military said early Wednesday that it was “currently striking Hezbollah terror targets in Beirut”. Sir Keir refused to confirm or deny whether the British military would be helping Israel, telling reporters: ‘This is an evolving situation but what I will say is that we stand with Israel and her right to self defence and relevant updates will be provided in due course.’ Moments before Iran unleashed its missiles, Lord Admiral West, the former Head of the Royal Navy, questioned how large the scale of the attack would be and spoke about the implications this could have. He told MailOnline: ‘If it’s pre-warned and fired on a limited scale, just for Iran to say to all their own people and to the terrorists in the region, ‘Look, we’re not taking this lying down the fact that the Israelis have attacked Hezbollah and gone into Lebanon’, that’s one thing. ‘If it is a huge and major ballistic missile attack tied in with other actions as well, that’s a different kettle of fish, and that could lead to a larger Middle East war.’

Lord West said that while the US have stepped in to assist Israel, it was unlikely that the UK would be able to help defend ballistic missiles. He added: ‘If it’s only ballistic missiles, then there’s little that we can do with our aircraft to shoot down ballistic missiles. If it’s purely ballistic missiles being fired, t hen you can’t shoot them down from a fighter aircraft. ‘And that’s all we’d have available in that area. Now, the Type 45 destroyer could shoot down a ballistic missile that’s aimed at it, or something close to it, but not things that are being fired into Israel.’ Shadow Security Minister Tom Tugendhat MP also condemned the attack, saying: ‘Iran’s barbaric attack on Israel shows that the regime in Tehran is intent on killing as many innocent men, women, and children in Israel as possible. They are trying to murder Jews, Muslims and Christians in the only democracy of the Middle East. The world must unite in condemning this heinous act of state terrorism. This is just the latest action from a regime that, for the past 45 years, has murdered its own citizens and hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Syria and Yemen. Today, my thoughts are with the people of Israel and everyone in the Middle East who is suffering at the hands of Iran’s brutal leaders.’

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