The RAF has evacuated 63 British nationals from Israel as Tel Aviv and Tehran continue to exchange fire, the foreign secretary has said.
The flight left Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon, taking vulnerable Britons and their immediate family to Cyprus.
A British national was also injured in Israel during an Iranian missile attack, David Lammy said.
In a statement to MPs, Lammy repeated his plea to Iran to return to the negotiating table following the US’s strike on its nuclear programme.
He said: “My message for Tehran was clear, take the off ramp, dial this thing down, and negotiate with the United States seriously and immediately.
“Be in no doubt, we are prepared to defend our personnel, our assets and those of our allies and partners.”
The RAF A400 aircraft departed Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport with 63 British nationals plus their immediate family who are eligible to travel.
The Foreign Office said further flights would be based on demand and the security situation. British nationals still in Israel have been urged to register their presence with the UK government.
Israeli airspace has been closed – leaving thousands of British nationals stranded – since the conflict started earlier this month when Israel attacked nuclear sites in Iran, prompting Tehran to respond with missile strikes.
Lammy said the British national injured in a strike in Israel was being offered consular support.
BBC News has approached the Foreign Office for more details.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have claimed that Iran has been preparing to build a nuclear weapon. Iran has repeatedly denied planning to do so.
Urging Iran to return to the negotiating table, Lammy told the Commons: “The alternative is an even more destructive and far-reaching conflict, which could have unpredictable consequences.”
He added the situation “presents serious risk to British interests” in the Middle East.
