Prime Minister Boris Johnson was not warned in advance about the US airstrike in Iraq which killed a top Iranian general, Sky News understands.

The UK has several hundred troops in the Middle East and works alongside US forces in the region.

Sources have told Sky's defence and security correspondent Alistair Bunkall that the UK military has now increased its security and readiness at bases in the Middle East following the killing of Major General Soleimani in a drone strike on Baghdad airport on Friday morning.

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The official UK response came from Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who urged caution from all sides in a short statement.

"We have always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qasem Soleimani," he said.


"Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests."

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On the UK not being briefed, Bunkall said: "Republican senator Lindsey Graham let slip that [US president Donald] Trump told him on Monday that they were planning to take out Major General Qassem Soleimani.

"If true, that tells us that the operation was more thought-through than opportunistic, and the UK as a vital security and intelligence ally might feel annoyed they weren't informed too.

"Obviously the more people who know, the greater the chance the news will leak and jeopardise the operation.

"The current White House typically operates according to its own rules and in its own interests, so in that respect I'm not too surprised Boris Johnson wasn't told."

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The Pentagon confirmed US forces had killed the general, saying the 62-year-old had "orchestrated" attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the past few months and approved the "attacks" on the US embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.

Iran immediately threatened a "crushing revenge" for the assassination in Iraq of Maj Gen Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force and spearhead of Iran's spreading military influence in the Middle East.

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It is understood the US is sending 3,500 additional troops to the region to bolster security.

Meanwhile, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to Mr Johnson requesting an urgent Privy Council briefing on the subject, including what contact there was between the UK and US administrations before and after the attack.

Other questions Mr Corbyn wants answered are whether the UK government has been in touch with the United Nations to discuss the consequences for peace and security, measures taken to ensure the safety of Britons in the region, and any assessment made of the terrorism risk in the UK.