RAF flight evacuates British nationals from Israel

The RAF has evacuated 63 British nationals and their dependants from Israel as the country continues to exchange fire with Iran, the foreign secretary has said.

The flight left Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon, taking vulnerable Britons and their immediate family to Cyprus, from where they will be taken to the UK.

A British national was also injured in Israel during an Iranian missile attack, David Lammy said.

In a statement to MPs, Lammy repeated his plea to Iran to return to the negotiating table following the US's strikes on its nuclear programme.

He said: "My message for Tehran was clear, take the off ramp, dial this thing down, and negotiate with the United States seriously and immediately.

"Be in no doubt, we are prepared to defend our personnel, our assets and those of our allies and partners."

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not accept aggression "from anyone under any circumstances".

• Follow live coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict

The RAF A400 aircraft departed Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport with 63 passengers, made up of British nationals plus their immediate family, who are eligible to travel, Lammy said.

The BBC understands the UK's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, is one of the passengers returning to the UK after being evacuated from Israel by the RAF.

The Foreign Office said further flights would be based on demand and the security situation. British nationals still in Israel have been urged to register their presence with the UK government.

Downing Street said "around 1,000" people had asked for a seat on an evacuation flight – a quarter of the 4,000 who have registered their presence in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Foreign Office.

Israeli airspace has been closed - leaving thousands of British nationals stranded - since the conflict started earlier this month when Israel attacked nuclear sites in Iran, prompting Tehran to respond with missile strikes.

British citizen Gabriella Somerville, 58, told PA news agency that the situation is "really difficult" as she tries to find a way to leave Israel.

She said she had registered and paid for a British evacuation flight, but had heard no updates.

"We've been here 10 days now and most other countries have had secure coaches to get to the border with Egypt or Oman or Jordan," she said.

"Yet we were told by the Foreign Office to make our own way to the borders.

"I really feel for the people out here now. It's really difficult, we've been going down to shelters for 10 days and we're living out of packed suitcases but with no communication."

Elsewhere, British nationals in Qatar were advised to shelter in place on Monday evening, shortly before Iran launched missiles at the US al-Udeid Air Base near Doha. The advice was later lifted following the attack.

All UK military personnel in Qatar were accounted for, the BBC understands, and there were no injuries or casualties as a result of the attack, according to the Qatari government.

The airspace over the country was closed temporarily and flights grounded.

A BBC News employee at Doha airport said he had got on a plane headed for Bangladesh on Monday afternoon, but the plane's journey was then delayed and its passengers removed and made to wait at the airport.