Rishi Sunak said British warplanes shot down “a number of drones” last night as Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.

Prime Minister Said the attack was carried out by Tehran It called a “dangerous and unnecessary escalation” of conflicts in the Middle East and warned that if the escalation was successful, it would have “unspeakable consequences for regional stability.”

Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and at least 120 ballistic missiles early Sunday, in an attack that prompted air strike alerts across the country.

Follow live updates on Iran’s attack on Israel

Mr Sunak said: “Thanks to a coordinated international effort in which the UK was involved, almost all of these missiles were intercepted, saving lives not only in Israel but also in neighboring countries such as Jordan.”

He added that Britain was sending “more aircraft” to the region as part of operations already underway in Iraq and Syria.

“I can confirm that our aircraft did shoot down multiple Iranian attack drones,” he said.

The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) earlier confirmed that several RAF jets and aerial tankers had been sent to the area “in support of Operation Shader” – the UK’s existing counter-Islamic State operation in Iraq and Syria .

However, it is unclear whether a drone was shot down, with government minister Victoria Atkins saying in media interviews this morning that she “cannot confirm or deny” the incident.

Mr Sunak is expected to join US President Joe Biden A conference call with G7 leaders on Sunday raised concerns that an Israeli counterattack could further escalate the situation.

The attack was in response to an attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria earlier this month that was widely blamed on Israel and left two Iranian generals dead.

It marked Tehran’s first direct military attack on Israel, despite decades of animosity dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The developments threaten to be a major regional escalation as the war in Gaza intensifies decades of tensions in the Middle East, with the two enemies fighting a shadow war for years.

Britain and the United States have offered staunch support to Israel, despite Tehran’s threat of a “tougher” response if Washington cooperates in any further military action.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that 99% of more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were shot down outside the country, with aircraft intercepting more than 10 cruise missiles.

analyze:
Will Israel let Iran’s attacks go unpunished?Probably not
Will a full-scale war break out in the Middle East?

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