The UK could evacuate 60,000 Britons believed to be living in Israel amid concerns Iran might launch a deadly attack.
Israeli intelligence says an Iranian strike on Israel is impending after Iran accused it of assassinating Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh last month – and are set to avenge his death.
The British Foreign Office is preparing emergency plans to support around 60,000 Britons believed to be in the country, and admitted travel advice is being “constantly updated”.
Last week it was reported that the Royal Navy and Marines were planning a “Dunkirk-style” mission to rescue 16,000 British nationals from Lebanon as tensions increased.
A Government spokesman said: “While we continue to use all diplomatic levers to push for de-escalation, our staff are working around the clock to plan for all scenarios to keep British nationals safe.
“Our travel advice is constantly updated to reflect the latest guidance.”
Yesterday Israel resumed deadly air-strikes across Gaza, killing at least 25, as fears of a devastating widening of the war – involving an imminent attack by Iran – continued to grow.
Jerusalem’s forces pressed on with operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis despite a desperate international push for a deal to halt fighting in the war-torn strip and prevent a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected a call by three European countries demanding it refrain from any attacks that would further escalate regional tensions – and insisting retaliation against Israel “was its right”.
Mediators have spent months trying to get the sides to agree to a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages captured in its October 7 attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Gaza.
Talks were expected to resume on Thursday.