Israel has said it expects the UK to join it in attacking “significant” targets in Iran if the regime follows through on its threats of a major assault on Israeli territory.
The comments came as David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, visited Jerusalem on Friday to meet his French and Israeli counterparts.
Israel Katz told Mr Lammy and Stephane Sejourne that if Iran attacked Israel “we expect the coalition to join Israel not only in defence but also in striking significant targets in Iran.”
Israel will not be able to refrain from responding “forcefully to any harm against it,” Mr Katz said. He added that if Iran did not stop its “aggression” it would “pay a price soon”.
Mr Lammy called it “a dangerous moment for the Middle East” and warned that the risk of the situation spiralling out of control was “rising.”
“Any Iranian attack would have devastating consequences for the region,” he added.
The Foreign Secretary also called on Hamas and Israel to engage “seriously” in ceasefire negotiations.
“There can be no delays or excuses… This is a vital opportunity to secure the release of hostages and an immediate surge in aid into Gaza,” he said.
Mr Lammy said he was hopeful Israel and Hamas were on the “cusp of a deal,” as talks in Doha wrapped up on Friday.
Qatar, Egypt and the US issued a joint statement afterwards in which they described the negotiations as “serious and constructive”.
The countries added that the US’s ceasefire proposal built on areas of agreement over the past week and “bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal”.
A source with knowledge of the talks told the Axios website: “We got more progress over the last two days than the last six weeks combined.”
Senior officials will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with the aim of concluding the deal, the statement added.
Israeli newspaper Ynet reported that Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister, told Iranian leaders that they should “consider if it’s advisable” for Tehran and Hezbollah to follow through on their threats to attack Israel in the middle of ceasefire negotiations.
Earlier, the US said the “remaining obstacles” in the ceasefire negotiations could be overcome and called on Hamas and Israel to close the deal.
Mr Katz warned that Hamas might “harden” its position in the ceasefire talks in anticipation of an Iranian attack on Israel.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz Daily cited a source familiar with the talks as saying that the parties “hope to see progress within the next 24 hours” and that the negotiations had been “successful so far and have taken place in a positive spirit.”
While the US said that Israel and Hamas have largely agreed to the framework presented by Joe Biden, both parties have expressed reservations over remaining issues such as the presence of Israeli forces in Gaza.
Anti-Semitism row
Meanwhile, Mr Lammy has come under fire from anti-Semitism campaigners over the appointment of the former president of Columbia University to the Foreign Office.
Baroness Shafik announced her resignation from the US university on Wednesday, following heavy criticism of her handling of pro-Palestine protests on campus.
She told staff and students that she would return to Britain to work alongside the Foreign Secretary to review the Government’s approach to international development.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism described her appointment as a “slap in the face to Jews on both sides of the Atlantic” and said Lady Shafik had become “one of the symbols of the Ivy League’s abysmal treatment of Jewish students”.
Lady Shafik, who became the first female president of Columbia last year, appeared before Congress in April amid allegations that her university had not done enough to stamp out campus anti-Semitism.
The campaign said in a social media statement: “The prospect of her now coming to work for David Lammy in the Foreign Office is, at best, tone deaf.
“At worst, it is a slap in the face to Jews on both sides of the Atlantic, who are hearing the message that failing to tackle anti-Semitism and abuse of Jews has no impact on your career advancement, and apparently qualifies you to craft foreign policy, including in relation to the Jewish state.”
Lady Shafik told Congress: “Columbia strives to be a community free of discrimination and hate in all its forms, and we condemn the anti-Semitism that is so pervasive today.”
She added that while there had been a rise in hatred on campus since the Oct 7 attacks, the university was working to protect students.
