Sunak says Iranian threats on Israel's security are 'unacceptable' echoing Biden's stance

The comments made by the US President come as the sons of one of Hamas' senior leaders were killed in an Israeli airstrike, ITV News Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo reports

Iranian threats to carry out a missile strike against Israel are “unacceptable”, the prime minister said as he reaffirmed the UK’s support for Tel Aviv’s right to defend itself.

Tehran has vowed to retaliate after two of its top generals were killed in an air strike on its consulate in Syria earlier this month that the US military believes was carried out by Israel.

Although Israel has not commented on the attack, Iran’s leader the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the country “must be punished and it shall be”.

Speaking on Thursday, Rishi Sunak condemned the Ayatollah’s comments, saying they were “unacceptable”.

He said: “We, like the Americans, fully support Israel’s right to defend itself against that.”

Mr Sunak added that Britain had already “highlighted Iran as a significant risk to regional security” and taken steps to protect the UK from threats from Tehran.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said that he made clear to his Iranian counterpart, Amir-Abdollahian, that Iran "must not draw the Middle East into a wider conflict" in a discussion on Thursday.

"I am deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculation leading to further violence. Iran should instead work to de-escalate and prevent further attacks," Lord Cameron posted on X.

The comments echo those made by President Joe Biden who said the US remains staunch in its commitment to protect Israel.

Iran was "threatening to launch a significant attack on Israel" following the killings of Iranian generals at the Iranian consulate in Syria's capital last week, Biden said.

"As I've told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel's security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad."

"We're going to do all we can to protect Israel's security," he said at a news conference on Wednesday.

It comes after at least one senior Iranian commander was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Damascus last week.

The strike on Iran's embassy killed or wounded everyone inside, with the commander named as Iranian military adviser General Ali Reza Zahdi, according to the Iranian Arabic-language state television Al-Alam and pan-Arab television station Al-Mayadeen.

Reza Zahdi led the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016.

Speaking to ITV News, former ambassador of Israel to the US and president of the Israel Institute, Itamar Rabinovich said that there is growing speculation around whether Iran will launch a severe attack or operate via proxies.

He said: "They will respond in some way, but I hope they keep their senses and limit it.

'We have been facing a war from Iran by proxy for six months already': Former Israeli ambassador to the US, Itamar Rabinovich speaks to ITV News about the threat of Iran

"We have been facing a war with Iran by proxy for the past six months. When a ballistic missile is fired from Yemen it originated in Iran. Hezbollah have been conducting a war of attrition along our (Israel's) northern border for the past six months."

He also believes that the relationship between Israel and the US has become more strained over the past few months.

Mr Rabinovich said: "I am worried, it has been exacerbated by the past six months, but these problems were here earlier.

"President Biden didn't invite Netanyahu to Washington, which has been the case with previous administrations because he was critical of Netanyahu's so-called judicial reforms.

"I don't think the Netanyahu government has been sensitive enough with respect to humanitarian aid and that has caused more tension."

Itamar Rabinovich said it is a possibility that Netanyahu would want to extend the war with Hamas due to the October 7 attacks happening on his watch

Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari condemned Israel and said as many as seven people were killed, but first responders were still searching for any other bodies under the rubble.

He vowed revenge for the strike “at the same magnitude and harshness.”

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years.

But airstrikes have escalated against the backdrop of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and ongoing clashes between Israel’s military and Hezbollah on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Though it rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, Israel has said it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

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