British planes ‘in the sky’ after US-Israel strikes against Iran: Live Updates, reactions (VIDEO)

President Donald Trump has confirmed “major combat operations” are underway to eliminate Tehran’s nuclear program and bring about a change in its government

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said British aircraft were “in the sky today” in the Middle East as part of “co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies.” 

His comments came after the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump confirming that “major combat operations” were under way. 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the US and Israel had struck military and civilian targets, “blatantly violating” the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Iran’s military has since launched a wave of retaliatory strikes towards Israel. 

Explosions were also reported in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait, all of which host US military assets. 

World leaders have urged all sides to de-escalate and return to negotiations. In a statement on Saturday morning Moscow condemned what it called a ”premeditated and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent member state of the UN.”

The UK, France and Germany issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s retaliatory attacks on neighboring countries, but stopped short of offering full support for the US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.