Escape from Middle East warzone descends into chaos: Brits are left stranded as first authorities flight is grounded amid mass exodus of Westerners

Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets to protect Cyprus in the coming days, Rome’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has told parliament.

A British Royal Air Force base on the island on Monday was targeted by an Iranian-made drone as part of the US ​and ⁠Israeli air war against Tehran.

Bahrain has said it has destroyed 75 Iranian missiles and 123 drones since Tehran began targeting the country over the weekend.

In an Instagram post, the Bahrain Defence Force said it continues to ‘confront successive waves of heinous Iranian terrorist attacks’ and urged residents to remain at home unless travel is essential.

The statement added that targeting civilian areas with missiles and drones ‘is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law’ and poses a serious threat to ‘regional peace and security’.

Britain ‘will be in a lot of trouble’ if it does not join bombing raids on Iran after UK bases in Bahrain and Cyprus were attacked, Kemi Badenoch has said.

The Tory leader argued the RAF must take offensive action to destroy Iranian missile sites and prevent further such attacks, as she warned allies in the region ‘think that we’re abandoning them’.

The government in Cyprus has expressed disappointment at the UK’s response to defending the island after an Iranian-made drone hit the British base RAF Akrotiri, with Defence Secretary John Healey travelling there to ease tensions.

The Government’s failure to have enough military assets in the Middle East region and the speed of its response have been criticised, as the HMS Dragon warship being readied to help protect Cyprus is not expected to set sail until next week.

Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs

Israeli strikes have killed eight people today amid renewed calls for people to evacuate along the southern border where Hezbollah has a stronghold.

The Iran-backed militant group dragged Lebanon into the war on Monday when it launched an attack on Israel, said it had launched missiles at positions in the Galilee area.

The National News Agency (NNA) reported that the mayor of a village in the Nabatieh region of south Lebanon and his wife were killed in one strike, while in a nearby village another strike killed two children and their parents.

The Lebanese health ministry said two people were killed by a strike on a car near the city of Zahle in the east of the country.

There were new strikes on the southern suburbs of the capital, Hezbollah’s main bastion, earlier today with video footage showing smoke coming from the area.

Azerbaijan has said it is preparing to respond after two people were injured in Iranian drone strikes targeting an airport and an area near a school.

In a statement, the country’s defence ministry said:

Azerbaijan is preparing the necessary retaliatory measures to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country and to ensure the safety of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

These acts of attack will not go unanswered.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters he wants de-escalation of the Iran attacks but said he couldn’t rule out his country’s military participation.

He was speaking alongside Australia’s prime minister during a visit to Canberra.

Qatar says it has come under another missile attack this morning and have now sent out an ‘elevated’ emergency alert.

The defence ministry said its air-defence systems were ‘intercepting’ the attack.

The security authorities urged Qataris and visitors to remain calm and follow ‘official instructions issued’.

Russia has accused the United States and Israel of attempting to draw Arab nations into a broader Middle East conflict by ‘provoking’ Iran into retaliatory strikes.

In a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said:

They deliberately provoked Iran into retaliatory strikes against targets in some Arab countries, which led to human and material losses, which the Russian side deeply regrets.

The ministry added that Washington and Tel Aviv are trying to ‘drag the Arabs into a war for someone else’s interests’.

According to Russia, the only way to prevent further destabilisation in the region is to end what it described as the ‘aggression’ of the US and Israel, warning that there are currently no indications the two ‘aggressors’ will stop their attacks.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early this morning that the country’s defence systems have been activated following a new wave of missiles reportedly ‘launched from Iran’.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the IDF confirmed it is working to ‘intercept the threat’ and urged the public to adhere to safety measures.

“The public is asked to act responsibly and follow the instructions – they save lives,” the statement added, stressing the importance of following official guidance amid the heightened threat.

Images have emerged showing Iranian sailors injured in a US submarine attack off Sri Lanka yesterday walking at Galle National Hospital.

The sailors are receiving treatment after the warship IRIS Dena was torpedoed, with at least 87 of the 130-strong crew reported killed.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet said the country is doing “our utmost to safeguard lives” on another Iranian vessel currently off its coast following the sinking of the warship.

It remains unclear whether the government considers the second ship a potential target for strikes.

A member of parliament said the vessel, currently just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, has requested permission to make an urgent port call. The government has not yet made a decision.