Britain will not be moving to protect Israel from a barrage of Iranian drones following last night's strikes, according to reports.
UK defence sources have hinted there are no plans to help defend the Jewish state as Iran hits back following last night's strikes.
Overnight, Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" saw a list of targets struck throughout the early hours.
Among those were Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander-in-chief Hossein Salam and the chief of the military staff, Mohammad Bagheri - as well as an Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz, which is said to have been destroyed.
MAPPED: The state of play between Israel and Iran on Friday morning
GB NEWS
Hundreds of drones were then launched towards Israel in the early hours of Friday morning - but the UK is currently not involved in defending Israeli skies.
Staunch British ally Jordan has been intercepting Tehran's missiles and drones which entered its own airspace on Friday morning.
While Israel is said to have been given permission to go into Saudi Arabian airspace in order to shoot down the infamous Shahed drones.
But the UK, following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's call for calm in the region, is steering clear - despite stepping in last October.
PICTURED: Sir Keir Starmer and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Jordan has been intercepting Tehran's missiles and drones which entered its own airspace on Friday morning
PA
As Iranian missiles rained down over Israel, two RAF jets and an air-to-air refuelling tanker played a part in attempts to prevent further escalation, but the jets did not engage any targets.
If Britain does act, forces could well be sent to the key British base in Cyprus, where Eurofighter Typhoon jets are stationed.
The deployment of reinforcements to RAF Akrotiri has happened in the past during crises in the Middle East.
Starmer said early this morning: "The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region.
PICTURED: Keir Starmer visits the British RAF base in Akrotiri, Cyprus. The deployment of reinforcements to RAF Akrotiri has happened in the past during crises in the Middle East
PA"Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy."
But UK allies have been more forthright - France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his country reaffirms Israel's right to defend itself against all attacks as news of Iranian drones filtered in.
It also appears that Britain was not warned in advance of Israel's plan to attack Iran. Both the US and Germany were told.
While in Israel, security sources revealed that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, led a series of covert operations against Iran's strategic missile array.
Mossad agents undercover in central Iran deployed precision-guided weapons in open areas near Iranian surface-to-air missile system sites, the source said.
Britain's apparent reluctance to step in comes just days after Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the UK will impose sanctions on two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
The measures formed part of coordinated action with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway targeting the pair for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
It also follows an extraordinary personal attack on the Prime Minister by Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared that Starmer was "on the wrong side of humanity" and claimed he "wants Hamas in power".
"I say to [French] President Macron, [Canadian] Prime Minister Carney, and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers, and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice, you're on the wrong side of humanity, and you're on the wrong side of history," he said.
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