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The leader of the Liberal Democrats has said that people both in the UK and across the world "will be fearing the break-out of widespread regional conflict in the Middle East", following Israel hitting dozens of military sites in Iran.

Sir Ed Davey has urged the UK government to "contain Iran's nuclear ambitions through diplomacy, not war".

Sky News understands that the RAF was not involved in defending Israel's skies against Iranian counterattacks - but that additional forces could potentially be sent to a key military base in Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri.

By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor

The UK does not appear to have been warned in advance of Israel鈥檚 plan to attack Iran.

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, had been due to travel to the US on Friday to meet his American counterpart.

The trip was cancelled once it became known that Israel had launched its operation.

A Whitehall source said the late cancellation of Lammy鈥檚 travel plans indicated that the UK had not been alerted in advance to the timing of the attack.

However, the UK had been aware of the increasing likelihood of an Israeli mission to strike Iran鈥檚 nuclear facilities, given the rhetoric from the Israeli government in recent weeks.

Earlier this morning, Industry Minister Sarah Jones said it would not "be appropriate" to say if the UK was warned - but added that Britain wasn't involved.

For context: We know both the US and German governments were tipped off by the Israeli's ahead of their strikes on Iran.

James Cleverly has criticised the international community for being "too slow and meek" in its response to the Iranian nuclear programme. 

He said that as foreign secretary, he "pushed for a more robust international response to Iran's nuclear enrichment to avoid this very outcome".

This was because "it was always clear to me that Israel would take kinetic action if others didn't take effective diplomatic action", he said. 

Unacceptable posture from Iran must end

Turning to the strikes themselves, Cleverly said that "regional stability and de-escalation are the priorities now".

He added: "Iran must drop its nuclear weapons aspirations. It is an unacceptable posture, not just for Israel but for many other countries in the region. 

"Israel must show discipline and restraint to prevent further escalation."

A short while ago, a senior Tory in the shadow cabinet hit back at Israel's claim it had "no choice" to act - saying that "everybody has always got a choice on exactly what they do and when".

The shadow foreign secretary has said she is watching developments in the Middle East "closely" and is urging "all sides to work towards a de-escalation of tensions".

Dame Priti Patel added: "The world is an increasingly dangerous place with significant threats to our national interests, security and defence.

"We must use our influence and diplomacy to work closely with all of our allies in the region and beyond to resolve conflicts, and deliver peace and stability in the Middle East."

Richard Holden says the Israeli strikes on Iran as well as Iranian counterattacks overnight are "concerning".

The shadow paymaster general tells Sky News that the Israeli strikes "could lead to a broader escalation for the region".

He says: "What I want to see is stability restored, to see peace restored as quickly as possible, because I want to see us move towards a two-state solution for Israel, Palestine and also Israel normalising relations with its neighbours."

The shadow minister also rebuts Israel's claim that it had "no choice" but to attack Iran. 

He says that "everybody has always got a choice on exactly what they do and when".

Holden explains that he doesn't know "the ins and outs of it" as he is not part of the government. 

But he recognised that "Israel feels itself under constant pressure from regimes which say they want to wipe it off the face of the Earth".

UK could have a 'big role' in promoting peace

Asked if he believes Iranian claims that their nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only, Holden says that he doesn't "think anybody realistically believes that's the case".

He adds that Iran claims it doesn't fund proxies, which is "also clearly untrue".

The top Tory repeats his calls for a move "towards stability, calmness and de-escalation of the situation".

Asked what role the UK could play in this, Holden responds that Britain and its allies could have "a big role" in this.

He says: "We've got to play our role wherever we can in moving towards that, to promote stability and peace... but also enabling, wherever possible, some of those broader long-term relationships actually to develop as well."

But he also acknowledges that the government must be "realistic" in seeking a long-term peace.

 Zach Polanski has said that Israel is "out of control", following the country's attacks on Iran overnight.

The Green Party deputy leader said the country has been out of control "for a long time".

He added that Starmer's response to the strikes - calling for all countries to reduce tensions and step back - "absurd".

Polanski said: "For Starmer to talk about de-escalation whilst continuing to support a genocide is increasingly absurd - and dangerous."

For clarity: the reference to genocide there refers to the Israeli's campaign against proscribed terrorist group Hamas, in Gaza. Tens of thousands of civilians have died in the territory since this began in October 2023.

Israel is a rogue state and UK should cease all military support

Green MP Ellie Chowns has said that the strikes overnight show Israel is a "rogue state operating outside international law".

She added: "Israel can no longer continue to enjoy the diplomatic and trade privileges they have as part of the international community."

Chowns has called on the UK government to say if it knew about the strikes in advance, to summon the Israeli ambassador and to "state unequivocally that it will cease military support for Israel".

She said: "Iran鈥檚 nuclear brinkmanship is a threat to peace in the wider region and cannot be tolerated. 

"Now more than ever, we need cool heads in a multilateral diplomatic process to look to address Iran鈥檚 growing nuclear threat."

 By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor

British warplanes are not currently involved in helping to defend Israel鈥檚 skies from any Iranian counterattacks, it is understood.

This could change as the situation develops.

Additional forces could well be sent to a key Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, where Eurofighter Typhoon jets are stationed.

The deployment of reinforcements to RAF Akrotiri has happened in the past during times of crisis in the Middle East.

Sarah Jones says people in the UK are "completely distraught" following a fatal plane crash in India yesterday. 

The Air India flight was travelling to London Gatwick, with 242 passengers and crew on board. But it crashed within minutes of taking off in Ahmedabad, and officials believe everybody on board has died, except for one British man in seat 11A.

At least 53 of those on board the aircraft were British citizens.

The industry minister calls the situation "utterly devastating" and says her own constituency of Croydon has a large Indian community.

She says: "I know that people are completely distraught."

Jones reiterates that the government has sent four investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to support their Indian counterparts.

She also points to the Foreign Office's bespoke support phone line, which people can ring.

She goes on: "We will be there to offer all the support that we can to those families. We need to get to the bottom of what's happened.

"I don't think anyone is suggesting foul play, but it will take time to establish what went wrong."

Jones says the UK will offer "whatever support" is needed.

She concludes that her thoughts are with the families of those who have lost loved ones.

Sarah Jones says  the UK and USA "weren't involved in the strikes" carried out on Iran by the Israelis.

The industry minister says it would not "be appropriate" to say if the UK was informed of the attack by Israel before it happened. 

We know US President Donald Trump was given the heads up before Israel launched its attacks.

But Jones repeats the message of the PM and David Lammy (see below), calling for "restraint and for de-escalation in the region".

Asked if Israel was right to say that it had no choice to carry out dozens of air strikes on Iranian military sites overnight, Jones responds that "I don't think anybody questions how destabilising Iran is being".

But she adds: "This is escalating, not de-escalating the situation. And we would urge restraint.

"We need to be calm at this point, work with our allies, do what we can to stop escalation, because we do not believe escalation, is going to be helpful in the region or the wider, wider world, of course."

Foreign Office in 'crisis mode'

Asked whether British nationals will be removed from the region, Jones declines to answer - saying the "foreign secretary will be making those kind of decisions as we speak".

She says Lammy and his department are having to juggle the Israeli attacks on Iran, and the fatal plane crash in India yesterday, which is believed to have killed hundreds, including dozens of Britons.

Jones says the Foreign Office is in "crisis mode".

She adds that the "foreign secretary will say more in due course".