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'British jets shoot down Iran drones'

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date15 April 2024
Publication titleEvening Chronicle
The Prime Minister called for "calm heads to prevail" following the overnight assault on Sunday and ahead of a meeting of G7 leaders amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counter-strike

Speaking to journalists in Downing Street, Mr Sunak confirmed RAF warplanes based in Syria and Iraq had been deployed to protect Israel, adding that lives had been saved "in neighbouring countries such as Jordan as well".

He said: "I can confirm that our planes did shoot down a number of Iranian attack drones. I want to pay tribute to the bravery and professionalism of our pilots flying into the face of danger to protect civilians."

Mr Sunak added: "If this attack had been successful the fallout for regional stability would be hard to overstate and we stand by the security of Israel and the wider region, which is of course important for our security here at home."

Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and at least 120 ballistic missiles early on Sunday in an attack that set off air raid sirens across the country.

The assault was launched in response to a strike widely blamed on Israel on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month which killed two Iranian generals.

It marks the first time a direct military attack has been launched by Tehran on Israel despite enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The development threatens to spiral into a wider regional conflict as the war in Gaza inflames decades-old tensions in the Middle East.

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