63 Brits and families evacuated from Israel will return home tonight with more to come

Evacuation of British nationals from war-torn Israel has begun, Foreign Secretary David Lammyhas confirmed. The RAF airlifted 63 "vulnerable" British people and their families to Cyrprus, and they will be back in the UK this evening, he said. And there will be more evacuations to come. Mr Lammy also said a British national has been injured in Israel during missile attacks by Iran.

The Foreign Secretary told the House of Commons UK "crisis teams" have been working "round the clock" to support British nationals in Israel. He said: "We have been working closely with the Israeli authorities to prepare flights to evacuate vulnerable British nationals and their dependents. I can confirm to the House that a royal Air Force A400 has flown in to Tel Aviv and taken 63 British nationals and their dependents to Cyprus, from where they will be brought home this evening."

Mr Lammy said: "Further flights will follow in the coming days, security allowing. We will prioritise those with greatest need, and contact those allocated a seat directly." He urged all British people in Israel or the occupied territories to register so that they receive updates. Land crossings to Egypt and Jordan are also open with consulate staff in those countries to help people, he said.

Earlier, the Prime Minister's spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer believed preventing Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon was a "good thing" for the UK, but declined to comment on whether US strikes on the country were legal.

The spokesman said the Government's focus remained on securing a diplomatic solution in the wake of the American attack against Iran's nuclear programme over the weekend.

He said: "We're clear that the prevention of Iran getting nuclear weapons is a good thing for this country.

"But our focus is on diplomacy. That is the priority and that is what every member of this Government is working towards and that's been the focus of the calls with international partners over the weekend."

Sir Keir warned on Sunday that there is a risk of the crisis escalating beyond the Middle East, telling reporters "that's a risk to the region. It's a risk beyond the region, and that's why all our focus has been on de-escalating, getting people back around to negotiate what is a very real threat in relation to the nuclear programme."

He spoke to US President Donald Trump on Sunday, and Downing Street said the leaders agreed Tehran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and called for Iran to return to negotiations.

The conversation came after the air raid by American B-2 stealth bombers and a salvo of submarine-launched missiles hit Iran's nuclear facilities.

"They discussed the actions taken by the United States last night to reduce the threat and agreed that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon," Downing Street said.