UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said British warplanes were “in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies”, AFP reports.

In his first public response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which triggered missile launches from Tehran, the British leader said in a short televised statement that this was “in line with international law”.

He made the comments after holding an emergency meeting with senior ministers and officials in response to the evolving conflict in the Middle East.