Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 15, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves suggests possible support for Israel in Iran conflict, with military moves to protect British interests.
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain could potentially support Israel in its conflict with Iran, but the decision to send additional military jets to the Middle East was made mainly to protect British bases and personnel, British finance minister Rachel Reeves said on Sunday.
Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks by Israel so far were nothing compared with what Iran would see in the coming days.
Speaking to Sky News, Reeves called for a de-escalation in the conflict and said the decision to send additional jets to the region was a "precautionary move".
Asked if Britain would come to Israel's aid if asked, Reeves said: "We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in."
She added: "We're sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies."
Britain was involved last year in protecting Israel from missile attacks from Iran. In April, British planes shot down Iranian drones heading for Israel and in October it said two of its fighter jets and an air-to-air refuelling tanker were involved in trying to intercept Iranian missiles. The jets did not engage any targets.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Sophie Walker)
Britain could potentially support Israel in its conflict with Iran, with the decision to send additional military jets primarily aimed at protecting British bases.
Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that the attacks by Israel were just the beginning of what Iran would face.
Reeves described the decision to send additional jets to the region as a 'precautionary move' aimed at de-escalating the conflict.
Yes, Britain has supported Israel in the past, particularly when missiles were coming in from Iran.
Last year, Britain was involved in protecting Israel from missile attacks from Iran, including shooting down Iranian drones aimed at Israel.
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