Latest news with #ForeignOffice
Western Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
UK readies charter flights out of Tel Aviv as Middle East crisis spirals
Downing Street urged Britons in the region to register their presence with the Foreign Office as the crisis deepens and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on all sides to reach a diplomatic outcome. Number 10 on Friday morning said that the situation remains 'fast-moving' and would continue to be monitored closely. The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. Meeting with @SecRubio and @SteveWitkoff in the White House today, we discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two… — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 19, 2025 A spokesman added: 'We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights. 'The Foreign Secretary will shortly announce that the Government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport once airspace reopens.' Sir Keir has also urged Donald Trump to step back from military action against Iran, which could deepen the crisis in the Middle East. The Prime Minister said there is a 'real risk of escalation' in the conflict as he urged all sides to seek a diplomatic outcome. He said there had previously been 'several rounds of discussions with the US' and 'that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue'. Iran and Israel continued striking each other's territory overnight as the crisis deepens. A hospital in southern Israel was hit by a missile, while a heavy water facility in Iran was targeted in the latest blow against Tehran's nuclear programme. The hospital attack led defence minister Israel Katz to say Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'absolutely should not continue to exist' – in a sign that plans to kill him could be revived after previously being vetoed by Mr Trump. His comments came as Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in Geneva for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before Mr Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'.
The Irish Sun
34 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
UK readying charter flights to rescue trapped Brits from Israel as Iranian missiles fall & US weighs strikes
UK nationals are to be evacuated from Israel by emergency chartered flights out of Tel Aviv. British authorities are scrambling to arrange the planes after they were Advertisement 2 The Foreign Office, led by David Lammy, is finally organising to fetch Brits stuck in Israel Credit: Alamy 2 Brits are to be flown out of Tel Aviv Credit: AFP The UK and Israeli governments are now working together to get Brits out, with No 10 saying the "fast-moving" situation would be closely monitored. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said: 'As part of our efforts to support British nationals in the Middle East, the government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport when airspace reopens, based on levels of demand from British nationals." Brits in Israel were urged to register their presence with the authorities and told they would be contacted with further guidance. The Foreign Office was accused of refusing to draw up evacuation plans. Advertisement They apparently told those trying to flee they should take a risky bus journey to Egypt or Jordan. There was anger that the families of diplomats working at the Embassy in Tel Aviv had been fetched, but most people offered nothing. There are up to 60,000 British citizens who live in Israel, and more are likely to have been visiting as the A Downing Street spokesman said: "We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights." Advertisement Most read in The Sun Breaking More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at
Scottish Sun
34 minutes ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
UK readying charter flights to rescue trapped Brits from Israel as Iranian missiles fall & US weighs strikes
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) UK nationals are to be evacuated from Israel by emergency chartered flights out of Tel Aviv. British authorities are scrambling to arrange the planes after they were accused of abandoning Britons stuck out there. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The Foreign Office, led by David Lammy, is finally organising to fetch Brits stuck in Israel Credit: Alamy 2 Brits are to be flown out of Tel Aviv Credit: AFP The UK and Israeli governments are now working together to get Brits out, with No 10 saying the "fast-moving" situation would be closely monitored. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said: 'As part of our efforts to support British nationals in the Middle East, the government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport when airspace reopens, based on levels of demand from British nationals." Brits in Israel were urged to register their presence with the authorities and told they would be contacted with further guidance. The Foreign Office was accused of refusing to draw up evacuation plans. They apparently told those trying to flee they should take a risky bus journey to Egypt or Jordan. There was anger that the families of diplomats working at the Embassy in Tel Aviv had been fetched, but most people offered nothing. There are up to 60,000 British citizens who live in Israel, and more are likely to have been visiting as the air battle with Iran began. A Downing Street spokesman said: "We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights." More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Metro
an hour ago
- Politics
- Metro
UK to charter flights to get Britons out of Israel after Iran strikes
Britain is working to arrange charter flights out of Tel Aviv as fighting between Israel and Iran enters a second week. The Foreign Office has urged British nationals in the country to register their presence with them Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Donald Trump's hand mark and 'cover up' raises concerns again MORE: Hackers 'break into' Iranian TV after country's Supreme Leader threatens 'all out war' with US MORE: Trump's intervention is a 'sign of Israeli weakness,' Iranian leader warns
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK prepares for charter flights out of Tel Aviv as Middle East crisis spirals
British authorities are scrambling to provide charter flights out of Tel Aviv, with UK citizens in the region told to register their presence with the Foreign Office, Downing Street has said amid spiralling conflict in the Middle East. The Government is working with the Israeli authorities to arrange transport out of the region as the crisis deepens and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged all sides to reach a diplomatic outcome. Number 10 on Friday morning said that the situation remains 'fast-moving' and would continue to be monitored closely. The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. Meeting with @SecRubio and @SteveWitkoff in the White House today, we discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two… — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 19, 2025 A spokesman added: 'We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights. 'The Foreign Secretary will shortly announce that the Government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport once airspace reopens.' Sir Keir has also urged Donald Trump to step back from military action against Iran which could deepen the crisis in the Middle East. The Prime Minister said there is a 'real risk of escalation' in the conflict as he urged all sides to seek a diplomatic outcome. He said there had previously been 'several rounds of discussions with the US' and 'that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue'. His comments came as Foreign Secretary David Lammy is taking the UK's plea for de-escalation to Washington, where he will meet Mr Trump's top diplomat Marco Rubio. Mr Lammy and US Secretary of State Mr Rubio will discuss the situation in the Middle East on Thursday evening. Iran and Israel continued striking each other's territory overnight as the crisis deepens. A hospital in southern Israel was hit by a missile, while a heavy water facility in Iran was targeted in the latest blow against Tehran's nuclear programme. The hospital attack led defence minister Israel Katz to say Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'absolutely should not continue to exist' – in a sign that plans to kill him could be revived after previously being vetoed by Mr Trump. Mr Lammy's meeting in Washington comes amid speculation US involvement could require using the UK-controlled Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. UK Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any potential British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, something which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily.
