UK sends Royal Navy vessels and surveillance planes to support Israel

Royal Navy vessels and surveillance aircraft are being sent to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel, the Prime Minister has announced.

Rishi Sunak and Britain's Home Secretary Suella Braverman attend a policing roundtable summit

Rishi Sunak said the deployment of the British armed forces would “support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation” in the conflict between Tel Aviv and Gaza.

The flare-up of violence in the Middle East, ignited by a wide-ranging Hamas attack on Israel at the weekend, has already claimed at least 2,400 lives.

Downing Street said maritime patrol and surveillance planes will begin flying in the region from Friday to track threats, including monitoring activity such as the “transfer of weapons to terrorist groups”.

RFA Argus which is being sent to the Middle East

A Royal Navy task group will be moved to the eastern Mediterranean next week as a contingency measure to support humanitarian efforts, it added.

The military package includes P8 aircraft, surveillance assets, two Royal Navy ships – Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels Lyme Bay and Argus – three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines.

The British armed forces will be on stand-by to “deliver practical support to Israel and partners in the region, and offer deterrence and assurance”, No 10 said.

The deployment appears to represent a shift in approach to Britain’s military involvement, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman earlier this week saying there were “no plans to redeploy UK military assets to Israel”.

Mr Sunak said: “We must be unequivocal in making sure the types of horrific scenes we have seen this week will not be repeated.

“Alongside our allies, the deployment of our world-class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation.

“Our military and diplomatic teams across the region will also support international partners to re-establish security and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the thousands of innocent victims of this barbaric attack from Hamas terrorists.”

Earlier, Mr Sunak announced £3 million in extra funding to protect schools, synagogues and other Jewish community buildings in the UK.

The money will be given to the Community Security Trust (CST) after the group, which acts on the behalf of British Jews on matters of policing and racism, said it had recorded a 400 per cent spike in antisemitic incidents in the UK since the weekend’s assault.

No 10 said the additional money will enable the CST to place additional guards at schools it supports and allow for additional security staff outside synagogues on Friday nights and Saturday mornings when Jews are marking the sabbath.

Mr Sunak said: “This is now the third deadliest terror attack in the world since 1970.

“The United Kingdom must and will continue to stand in solidarity with Israel.

“At moments like this, when the Jewish people are under attack in their homeland, Jewish people everywhere can feel less safe.

“That is why we must do everything in our power to protect Jewish people everywhere in our country.

“If anything is standing in the way of keeping the Jewish community safe, we will fix it. You have our complete backing.”

It brings the total funding for Jewish community protection security for 2023-24 to £18 million.