The US-Israeli war with Iran has entered its seventh day as the first Government-chartered plane evacuating British nationals from the region touched down in the UK. The flight, operated by Titan Airways, landed at London Stansted shortly before 1am on Friday after departing from Muscat, Oman.
Thousands of Britons have left the region, with some 4,000 returning on commercial flights before the Government charter. Passengers on the flight described sleeping in car parks in Dubai as they heard explosions during the early stages of the conflict. Amelia Reid and Samuel Sharp, who had travelled to Dubai for a long weekend, said they sheltered in a hotel basement car park after alarms sounded on their phones.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted that the special relationship with the US is “in operation right now” following repeated criticism from President Donald Trump over the UK’s response. Sir Keir confirmed that an additional four British Typhoon fighter jets are being deployed to Qatar to strengthen defensive operations in the region.
Defence Secretary John Healey has declined to rule out UK aircraft taking part in strikes on Iran, stating that “as circumstances in any conflict change, you’ve got to be willing to adapt the action you take.” He also confirmed that HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, would arrive in Cyprus within the next couple of weeks.
According to reports, the conflict has resulted in at least 1,230 deaths in Iran, more than 100 in Lebanon, around a dozen in Israel, and six US troops. Etihad Airways announced it would resume limited commercial flights until March 19, including services from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow, Manchester, and Dublin.
