RAF pilots that shot down Iranian drones are the best of the best, Sunak says
The Prime Minister has praised the Royal Air Force fighter pilots that shot down Iranian drones bound for Israel, describing them as the "best of the best".
Speaking in the House of Commons, Rishi Sunak said had Iran succeeded with its attack on Israel it would have been "catastrophic".
He told MPs: "Our pilots put themselves in harm's way to protect the innocent and preserve peace and stability
"I spoke to the RAF earlier today - they are the best of the best and I know the whole house will join me in expressing our gratitude."
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also heaped praise on the RAF, saying: "Once again we all salute the professionalism and bravery of our Armed Forces."
The PM said the RAF Typhoon pilots had destroyed a number of Iranian drones, while also providing "important intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for our partners".
He added: "With this attack, Iran has once again shown its true colours. They are intent on sowing chaos in their own backyard, on further destabilising the Middle East.
"Our aim is to support stability and security because it is right for the region and because although the Middle East is thousands of miles away, it has a direct effect on our security and prosperity at home.
"So we're working urgently with our allies to de-escalate the situation and prevent further bloodshed. We want to see calmer heads prevail and we're directing all our diplomatic efforts to that end."
The Prime Minister's official spokesman earlier declined to say how many drones were shot down by the RAF.
The Typhoons had been redeployed from Romania to take part in the operation to defend against Tehran's drone and missile barrage.
Six RAF Typhoons began air policing missions in the skies above Romania earlier this month, flying alongside their Romanian counterparts.
But as it became clear that Iran intended to strike Israel, the Government redeployed jets for operations in the Middle East.
The British jets were deployed to "backfill" in the counter-Daesh role, freeing up US planes to protect Israel.
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron suggested RAF jets could defend Israel again, even if Tel Aviv ignored calls from the UK and US to hold back from retaliation against Iran.
But he urged Israel to be "smart as well as tough" by not escalating the conflict with Iran.
Israel should recognise Tehran's attack at the weekend was an "almost total failure" and "think with head as well as heart" in its response, he cautioned.
The Foreign Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today: "We are saying very clearly we don't support a retaliatory strike. We don't think they should make one."
But asked whether British forces could again be involved in defending Israel if that retaliation happened, Lord Cameron said: "If they come under attack, that's a different issue.
"But what we are saying very clearly to the Israelis is 'we respect your right to take action, you are an independent, sovereign country, you've suffered what could have been a calamitous attack, you've bravely fought it off, you've had a success, Iran has had a failure, the right thing to do, the tough thing to do now is not to escalate further but to switch the focus back on to getting the hostages home'."
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