LIVE: Britain's PM Keir Starmer Delivers Statement on Israel-Hamas War

Good evening. In the last few hours, the Iranian regime has launched over 200 ballistic missiles at civilian targets in Israel. It is too soon to assess the impact fully, but I utterly condemn this attempt by the Iranian regime to harm innocent Israelis, to escalate this incredibly dangerous situation and push the region ever closer to the green. It cannot be tolerated. We stand with Israel and we recognise her right to self-defence in the face of this aggression. Iran must stop these attacks, together with its proxies like Hezbollah. Iran has menaced the Middle East for far too long. Chaos and destruction brought not just to Israel, but to the people they live amongst in Lebanon and beyond. Make no mistake, Britain stands full square against such violence. We support Israel's reasonable demand for the security of its people. I've spoken today to Prime Minister Netanyahu, the King of Jordan, President Macron and Chancellor Schultz. In the last week, I've also spoken to other leaders, including Prime Minister McCarthy of Lebanon, President Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, to try to find the space for a political solution to the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, because I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink, and I'm deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation. The situation in Lebanon is increasingly grave. I want to repeat my advice to British nationals who are still in Lebanon. You must leave now. You should register your presence with government officials on our website. We have a chartered flight and we're doing everything we can to get people out. But the situation is extremely volatile. So if you have the means to leave, the time is now. Do not wait. I'll now take questions. First of all, is the UK prepared to use British military capabilities to help Israel defend against Iran, and has that already happened this evening? This, as you'll appreciate, is an evolving situation. But what I will say is that we stand with Israel and her right to self-defence, and any relevant updates will be provided in due course. And on that phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu this evening, you and other world leaders have been calling for a ceasefire, for de-escalation in the region. It doesn't seem that those calls are being heard. Can you give us any more detail on what you said tonight to him? I won't go into the full details, but in all of the calls I've been making with world leaders, I have expressed my concern that the region is on the brink and there's a high risk of miscalculation, and therefore we have to find a route to de-escalate on all fronts. And in the end, the only solution here is a political solution. So my calls have been about the importance of creating space and the conditions for that de-escalation, and to find that political route forward. With Prime Minister Netanyahu, I also was able to make the case for a ceasefire in Gaza, and importantly, to repeat that the hostages must be released unconditionally and immediately, because we must never lose sight of the hostages who've been held for such a long time now. Thank you. What's your message to Israel? Are you again calling for a restraint? Because they would argue that didn't deter a second attack. Well, my message very clearly tonight is to condemn this attack by Iran, to recognise in clear terms Israel's right to security and to defend herself. And I say that in absolutely clear terms. Obviously, I think all parties are concerned to ensure this doesn't spiral into a much bigger conflict. But on the principle of Israel's right to self-defence, I've been very, very clear. Thank you very much.