British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has indicated that the UK could potentially support Israel in its ongoing conflict with Iran, though she emphasized that recent military moves are primarily intended to protect British personnel and assets in the region.
Reeves confirmed that the deployment of additional military jets to the Middle East was a “precautionary move.” She stressed the need for de-escalation but did not rule out UK support for Israel if requested.
“We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in,” Reeves said. “We’re sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.”
Her comments follow a fresh exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran overnight, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that Iran should expect more intense retaliation in the coming days.
Britain was previously involved in defending Israel from Iranian attacks. In April, British fighter jets intercepted Iranian drones en route to Israel, and in October, UK aircraft participated in operations to counter Iranian missile threats—though they did not engage any targets.
However, relations between the UK and Israel have become strained over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Just last week, the UK imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for inciting violence against Palestinians. Israel denounced the sanctions as “outrageous” and is reportedly considering a response.
In a further sign of deteriorating conditions, the UK Foreign Office on Sunday updated its travel advisory to warn against all travel to Israel. This followed Friday’s advisory against all but essential travel.
