Sir Keir, who was on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the assault was launched, said the rockets were aimed at civilian targets and it is "too soon to assess the impact fully".
"I utterly condemn this attempt by the Iranian regime to harm innocent Israelis, to escalate this incredibly dangerous situation and push the region ever closer to the brink," he said.
[…]
Sir Keir called on Iran to "stop these attacks", saying it had "menaced the Middle East for far too long"."I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink, and I'm deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation," he added.
[…]
Asked if the UK would be prepared to use British military capabilities to help Israel defend itself against Iran, which backs the militant group, the prime minister said: "This, as you'll appreciate, is an evolving situation."But what I will say is that we stand with Israel and her right to self-defence. And any relevant updates will be provided in due course."
A few hours after that statement, Mr Healey confirmed the involvement of British forces tonight - though it is not clear in what capacity or whether personnel were involved in shooting down the Iranian missiles, as US forces did.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is not yet confirming what kind of support it gave Israel, but RAF Typhoon jets, operating from an air base in Cyprus, were deployed to help Israel during Iran's previous attack in April.
[…]
"My calls have been about the importance of creating the space and the conditions for that de-escalation, and to find that political route forward," the prime minister told reporters after his televised address.He added that with Mr Netanyahu he was able to "make the case for a ceasefire in Gaza", which has been under siege for the past year following the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023.
The prime minister also repeated the advice for Britons in Lebanon to leave immediately, saying "we're doing everything we can to get people out, but the situation is extremely volatile".
Weeks of silence from him about Israel's terrorism in Lebanon, but only minutes to condemn Iran's retaliation. They really do have him by the balls.