UK urges Israel and Iran to de-escalate immediately

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have called on Israel and Iran to step back and de-escalate rising tensions in the Middle East, calling the situation "dangerous" and "deeply concerning."

“The airstrikes are troubling. Escalation benefits no one in the region,” Starmer told the BBC. “Now is the time for restraint, calm, and a return to diplomacy,” he added.

Foreign Secretary Lammy, in a social media post, said he was “deeply concerned” by reports of overnight strikes and warned that further escalation poses a serious threat to peace and stability in the region.

“Stability in the Middle East is vital to global security. This is a dangerous moment. I urge all sides to show restraint,” Lammy wrote.