Iran ‘doesn’t want’ Middle East war but Israel ‘must be punished’ as families of UK embassy staff withdrawn from Lebanon

Iran has said it is not seeking to escalate the conflict in the Middle East but its arch-enemy Israel must be “punished”, the country’s foreign ministry said.

Amid widespread fears of the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, spreading, Iran claimed on Monday it was not seeking a regional escalation.

But Israel must be “punished” to prevent further instability, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said following last week’s killings of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Tehran.

Iran and its allies have blamed the deaths on Israel.

It comes as the relatives of British diplomats in Lebanon are being temporarily withdrawn from the country amid fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

The UK Foreign Office said due to a “highly volatile security situation” in Lebanon amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, the relatives of British embassy workers in Beirut would be removed.

Over the weekend, Foreign Secretary David Lammy called on UK nationals to leave Lebanon immediately as the consequences of a wider conflict in the region “could be catastrophic”.

Mr Lammy said: “Tensions are high and the situation could deteriorate rapidly. While we are working round the clock to strengthen our consular presence in Lebanon, my message to British nationals there is clear – leave now.”

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It comes as Hezbollah, who has been clashing with Israel since the Gaza war broke out almost 10 months ago, said it launched a drone attack early Monday on northern Israel that the Israeli military said wounded two Israeli troops and set off a fire.

Meanwhile, an Israeli drone strike near a cemetery in a southern Lebanese village killed two people, including a paramedic, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

US President Joe Biden will be convening his national security team on Monday to discuss developments in the Middle East, the White House said.

Australia elevated the nation’s terrorism threat alert level from “possible” to “probable” on Monday amid concerns about radicalisation and community tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, which erupted following the militant group’s unprecedented attack in southern Israel on 7 October which killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostage.

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As the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region, UK armed forces personnel are also being deployed to the area to support embassies and British nationals. Border Force has sent officers who stand ready to aid consular operations, the Foreign Office said.

Consular experts have also been drafted in to assist with planning and responding to queries from UK citizens.

This is alongside the Royal Air Force having put transport helicopters on stand-by and landing ships RFA Cardigan Bay and HMS Duncan already being in the Mediterranean to help allies with humanitarian efforts.