Israeli envoy says Britain would not have 'coped' with Iran rockets

Israel's ambassador insisted Britain would not have 'coped' with Iran's air barrage today amid frantic efforts to defuse tensions.

Tzipi Hotovely said the 182 missiles fired by Tehran overnight were 'intended' to kill civilians - even if they were intercepted.  

Pledging 'severe retaliation' the envoy to London asked how the UK would have handled a similar attack on the capital, Manchester and Birmingham.

Ms Hotovely told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'One hundred and eighty-two Iranian rockets were targeting Israeli civilians.

'This is the most important thing because sometimes we are checking whether people got killed or didn't get killed. No, the intentions matter and the intention of the Iranian regime was to target Israeli civilians in a massive attack.

'I don't think Britain would have coped with 182 rockets direct to London, to Manchester, to Birmingham, to your main cities. This is what happened yesterday.

'We saw the centre of Israel covered with rockets. We saw all our air force working hard to eliminate this threat, and Iran will pay the price.

'The Iranian regime is not impressed (by) words and it's time for actions. We will take action on this. There will be a severe retaliation coming from Israel.'

The comments came as Defence Secretary John Healey visited British personnel based on Cyprus, after the UK 'played its part' in responding to Iran's military action. 

It is understood RAF jets were involved in the efforts to intercept the missiles. 

The operation was similar to the role carried out by the UK's forces when Iran launched a drone and cruise missile barrage at Israel in April.

Preparations are also being made for a potential evacuation of Brits from Lebanon with mounting fears of a regional conflict in the Middle East. 

Keir Starmer has said he stands with Israel and will discuss the situation with Ursula von der Leyen on a visit to Brussels later.

In a statement last night, Mr Healey said he 'completely condemn(s) Iran's attack against Israel'.

'British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East,' he added.

'I want to thank all British personnel involved in the operation for their courage and professionalism.'

The PM had said he was 'deeply concerned that the region is on the brink' and again urged British nationals in Lebanon to leave amid escalating violence in the Middle East.

In a televised statement from Downing Street, Sir Keir said Iran has 'menaced the Middle East for far too long' and called on the country to 'stop these attacks'.

'We stand with Israel and we recognise her right to self-defence in the face of this aggression,' he said.

'Iran must stop these attacks. Together with its proxies like Hezbollah, Iran has menaced the Middle East for far too long, chaos and destruction brought not just to Israel, but to the people they live amongst in Lebanon and beyond.

'Make no mistake, Britain stands full square against such violence. We support Israel's reasonable demand for the security of its people.'

Iran said it launched the strikes in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week, the Associated Press reported.

The escalation came after Israel began a ground offensive in Lebanon, carrying out what it described as 'limited, localised' operations.

The Iranian attack on Israel began while Sir Keir was talking to Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sir Keir said he was 'deeply concerned that the region is on the brink' and 'deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation'.

He repeated the advice for Britons in Lebanon to leave and said 'we're doing everything we can to get people out, but the situation is extremely volatile'.

A chartered flight to get Britons out of Lebanon is due to depart from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, at a cost of £350 per seat.

Lebanon's Middle East Airlines, the only commercial operator still flying from Beirut, has a regular scheduled flight to the UK leaving on Wednesday.

The attack on Israel by Iran has attracted condemnation from British political leaders.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned against a 'cycle of escalation' and said it would be in 'no-one's interest', while Conservative leader Rishi Sunak said 'we stand unequivocally by Israel's right to defend itself including against Hezbollah in Lebanon'.

Sir Keir spoke to other European leaders about the situation on Tuesday evening, condemning Iran's attack and reiterating calls for a ceasefire in the region.

In a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 'the leaders agreed that further escalation was in nobody's interest and that all sides should show restraint', a Downing Street spokesman said.

There was also a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, in which Downing Street said 'the Prime Minister and president agreed that ensuring Israeli security was vital and that there was an urgent need for de-escalation, with all parties needing to show restraint'.

The Prime Minister also chaired a ministerial meeting in Downing Street on Tuesday on the situation in the Middle East.