Keir Starmer calls urgent Cobra meeting to take place in matter of hours

It's the second he has called in a matter of days

It comes after the government ordered for the temporary withdrawal of the families of staff at the British embassy in Tel Aviv.

While the government are yet to order British citizens to return home from Israel, it is working with Israel and Egypt to facilitate the exit of those trying to return home.

The meeting is a matter of a "security threat" in the wake of the eruption of war between Israel and Iran.

The UK are reportedly concerned about the US entering into the conflict.

A Downing Street spokesperson says the UK’s position is still that "we want to de-escalate the situation".

The spokesperson added: "This is an extremely fast-moving situation and we are working with partners to reiterate the need to return to diplomacy."

Last week Israel launched "pre-emptive" strikes on Iran after claiming the latter were close to possessing nuclear weapons.

Iran promptly launched a counter offensive leading to a continued exchange of missiles between the warring sides.

Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely told LBC on Tuesday that the UK is "not going to be involved" in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

She said in the past the UK "were great partners of the defence coalition", but added that Britain will be kept out of the conflict.

The meeting which is set to take place in a matter of hours comes after Starmer met with the G7 in Alberta, Canada, to discuss the current war in the Middle East.