Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched the missiles in retaliation for recent attacks that killed the leaders of the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups, as well as a senior Iranian commander.

Israel said most of the 180 missiles fired were intercepted.

Healey thanked British personnel involved for their courage and professionalism.

“The UK stands fully behind Israel’s right to defend its country and its people against threats.”

Healey’s visit to Cyprus will see him meet some of the British personnel preparing for the possibility of evacuating British nationals from Lebanon.

Britons in Lebanon have been advised to register their presence with officials on the government’s website and a UK-chartered plane is set to leave Beirut on Wednesday.

But some told the BBC they had received no confirmation or details about their booking on the government-chartered flight, despite paying for a seat.

British citizen Libby, 25, was about to board a commercial flight from Beirut to Cairo on Wednesday morning, and described the situation in the Lebanese capital as “terrifying”.

“You can’t sleep because you can hear the Israeli drones over your head, you wake up in the night because you hear strikes,” she told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

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