British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that UK forces are "active" in the Middle East and involved in "regional defensive operations" to protect British allies.
Starmer gave a public statement on Saturday afternoon after chairing a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee, attended by ministers, military leaders and intelligence specialists.
The prime minister confirmed the UK "played no role" in US-Israeli strikes targeting Iran.
But he said: "As part of our commitments to the security of our allies in the Middle East, we have a range of defensive capabilities in the region, which we’ve recently taken steps to strengthen.
"Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests, and our allies - as Britain has done before, in line with international law."
