UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says London is deploying additional RAF fighter jets to West Asia to help defend Israel, after Iran launched a fresh round of missile attacks on the occupying entity.
Starmer made the remarks on Sunday as he traveled to Canada for the G7 summit, where he said the “intense” fighting between Israel and Iran would be further discussed, as the two sides continue to trade strikes for a third day.
“We’ve already been moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support across the region,” Starmer said.
“Our constant message is de-escalate, and therefore everything we’re doing, all discussions we’re having are to do with de-escalation,” he added.
Starmer went on to say that he had “a good and constructive” discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, adding that it “included discussions about the safety and security of Israel, as you would expect, between two allies.”
He further reiterated that the UK had “long-standing concerns” about Iran’s nuclear program, stressing that London “absolutely recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense.”
This comes as Iran has warned the United States, the United Kingdom, and France that their bases and ships would be regarded as legitimate targets in the region if they support Israel.
The Israeli regime launched an attack against Iran early on Friday, targeting the top military brass and multiple military, nuclear, and civilian sites across Tehran and other cities.
