Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has condemned Iran’s recent drone launch on Israel as a ‘reckless attack’ and a ‘dangerous and unnecessary escalation’ towards open warfare.

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Sunak confirmed that Britain was part of an ‘international coordinated effort’ to shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, stating that ‘almost all’ of more than 300 missiles were intercepted before applauding the RAF for their ‘bravery and professionalism’.

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Iranian state media has stated that their attack was in retaliation to an Israeli raid on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria on April 1, that killed several top commanders. The Iranian army’s Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri reported that Iran’s “response will be much larger… if Israel retaliates against Iran” and further warned the U.S that its military bases could also be attacked if they assisted Israel's retaliation.

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Multiple sources have reported that it's possible Iran was hoping that their retaliation would be a conclusive act of self defence, such as with their missile attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq after the 2020 killing of Guards commander Qassem Soleimani.

Whilst many nations such as Egypt, France and China have urged restraint, it remains unclear (and many fear even unlikely) that Israel will show restraint in their response.

The recent escalation comes after months of conflict between Israel and Palestine, which has left thousands of Palestines dead, wounded and forced into starvation.

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