The Ministry of Defence said that several additional Royal Air Force fighter jets had been moved to the region to help intercept the drone attacks…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has condemned Iran’s attack against Israel as “reckless” and pledged that the UK would stand up for security in the region after Tehran launched dozens of aerial drones and cruise missiles overnight on Saturday and into Sunday. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that several additional Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets had been moved to the region to help intercept the drone attacks. The aircraft and air-fuelling tankers are being deployed as part of the UK’s ongoing Operation Shader against the Daesh terrorist group in the region.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the Iranian regime’s reckless attack against Israel,” said Sunak in a statement issued by 10 Downing Street. These strikes risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard.
The UK will continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq,” said the PM. “Alongside our allies, we are urgently working to stabilise the situation and prevent further escalation. No one wants to see more bloodshed,” he added. The Israeli military said it intercepted the majority of the attacks with the help of other countries, including the US.
“We have moved several additional Royal Air Force jets and air refuelling tankers to the region. These will bolster Operation Shader, which is the UK’s existing counter-Daesh (ISIS) operation in Iraq and Syria. In addition, these UK jets will intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required,” a UK MoD statement said. “We will continue to cooperate closely with our regional partners in the interest of de-escalation,” it stated. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Iran’s “senseless” actions further undermine regional security amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“We continue to work with Israel and partners in the region to prevent further escalation. Peace and stability are in everyone’s interest, and I urge Iran to immediately end all forms of destabilising behaviour,” said Shapps. The widely anticipated retaliatory attack by Iran follows a strike on its consulate in Syria earlier this month, which killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers, including a top commander. The Iranian government has accused Israel of carrying out that attack, but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it.
Iran summons envoys
Meanwhile, Iran summoned the French, British and German ambassadors to Tehran over reactions to the attack on Israel. “The British, French and German ambassadors to Tehran were summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the irresponsible positions of certain officials of these countries regarding Iran’s response to the actions of the Zionist regime (Israel) against the nationals and interests of our country,” Reuters quoted the official IRNA news agency. Britain, France, and Germany reacted sharply to Iran’s missile attack against Israel, which was made in response to its bombing of Iran’s consulate in Syria. The three European countries condemned Iran’s drone and missile attack against Israel. The attack went through Saturday night into Sunday and was in retaliation for Israel’s bombing of its consulate in Syria on April 1. The three nations were accused by the director for Western Europe at Iran’s foreign ministry of “double standards”. The statement also mentioned the objection of these three nations to a Russian-drafted U.N. Security Council statement that would have condemned Israel’s attack on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria. “Iran’s military action against the Zionist regime’s (Israel) bases is well within the framework of the right to legitimate defence stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and it is in response to a series of crimes, including the recent attack on the embassy compound in Syria,” the official added.
‘Responsibility for escalating situation lies with Israel’
Meanwhile, Iran’s Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi on Sunday defended its attack on Israel, saying that the Iranian legal and legitimate response in targeting Israeli military infrastructure on Saturday night was based on the inherent “right of self defence”. The Tehran’s retaliation followed an attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 2. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the tragic loss of seven of its officials, including senior commanders Mohammed Reza Zahedi and Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi. Describing Israel as a “terrorist regime,” the Iranian envoy said that if it repeats its evil and terrorist actions again, it will face a decisive response from Iran. He further said, “Iran has stated many times in its official positions and diplomatic interactions within the framework of principles that it does not want to develop conflicts in the region and has proven this position in practice through restraint.”
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