Iran-US war latest: Trump to use British bases for ‘dramatic surge’ in attacks on Iran

Deputy prime minister David Lammy has said that the UK has no reason to be embarrassed of the way it has handled the outbreak of war between the US, Israel and Iran.

Prime minister Keir Starmer was initially reluctant to allow the US to use British military bases for offensives against Iran, before switching tack and relaxing the rules later in the week.

“The challenge has always been that whilst Ali Khamenei may have gone, there are others who are pretty hard-line or could be worse in the end,” he told Sky News.

“This will be for the Iranian people themselves when this intense period is over, unless there’s any suggestion of putting boots on the ground, and I haven’t heard that at this stage.”

He said the UK is “absolutely not” embarrassed of the way it has handled the conflict.

Two children have been killed in an Israeli army raid on a home in Mashghara, Lebanon.

A woman was also wounded in the attack, according to the country’s national media.

The victims were a five-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy, Lebanese health authorities confirmed.

The Israeli army previously targeted the Bekaa valley, accusing it of holding “Hezbollah infrastructure”.

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran’s intelligence service by spying on locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in London.

Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing London said the men – one Iranian national and three dual British/Iranian nationals, were detained shortly after 1am on Friday at addresses in Barnet, Watford and Harrow as part of a pre-planned operation.

The Metropolitan Police said the men arrested were 52, 40, 55, and 22, with searches ongoing at their addresses.

Residents in Dubai have received mobile phone alerts warning them of missile threats, witnesses have told Reuters.

Israelis have been ordered by Hezbollah to evacuate areas near the Lebanese border, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV.

“Warning to the residents of the northern settlements: You are required to evacuate all settlements located 5km of the border line,” it said.

“The aggression of your army against Lebanese sovereignty and civilians, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the campaign of displacement it is carrying out will not go unanswered. Head south.”

Kurdistan’s Regional Government has officially denied claims that it will be involved in the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran.

Reports earlier this week suggested that the CIA were preparing to arm Kurdish factions in order to foment a rebellion against the Iranian government.

“Reports claiming a role for the Kurdistan Region and allegations asserting that we are part of a plan to arm and send opposition Kurdish parties into Iranian territory are entirely baseless, and we categorically deny them in full, affirming that they are being deliberately and maliciously disseminated,” wrote Beshwa Horamani, a government spokesperson, in a post on X on Thursday.

“At the same time, the government of the Kurdistan Region and the political parties within it are not part of any campaign to expand the scope of war and tensions in the region.

“On the contrary, we call for peace and stability in the region, and we strongly condemn the cowardly attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region, while demanding that the federal government and the international community intervene to stop these aggressions and protect our land, our people, and our region.”

Maersk will temporarily suspend its FM1 service, connecting the Far East to the Middle East, and its ME11 service, connecting the Middle East to Europe, the shipping group said in a statement on Friday.

“This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our personnel and vessels while minimizing operational disruption across our wider network,” Maersk said in an advisory to customers.

The Israeli military said it carried out a large wave of airstrikes in southern Beirut on Friday, targeting what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahieh district – a known stronghold of the Iran-backed group.

According to an update from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israeli Air Force conducted 26 strikes in the area as part of a “broad-scale” operation aimed at degrading Hezbollah’s operational capabilities.

Among the targets were a command centre belonging to Hezbollah’s executive council and a facility that the military said was being used to store unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) deployed in attacks against Israel.

The IDF said steps were taken before the strikes to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.

“Prior to the strikes, measures were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians,” the military said in a statement, without providing further details on the precautions.