LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that four additional Typhoon fighter jets would be sent to Qatar as the conflict in the Middle East escalates, insisting that the UK has the right plan for defence.

Britain's cautious response to the Iran crisis and a drone attack on its key military base in Cyprus have led to doubts among partners about its military effectiveness.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also criticised Starmer for failing to provide sufficient support for his strikes on Iran.

PIRAEUS, Greece, March 5 (Reuters) - Greek seafarers began a 24-hour strike on Thursday, halting local ferry services, as they protested over vessel crews stranded in the Gulf amid the escalating Middle East war, and demanded the area is declared a war risk zone to enable their repatriation.

The Iran conflict threatens Gulf ports and has already disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery accounting ​for about 20% of global oil and gas supply. Although the Strait is not shut, Iran has warned that it will fire on ⁠any ship trying to pass through.

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Leo released a video on Thursday praying that God would help world leaders renounce war as a means of resolving conflicts in an unusual appeal as the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran pressed on for the sixth day.

"Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death," the pontiff said in the video message.

"Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world, asking that nations renounce weapons and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy," he said.

(Clarifies Iranian ambassador's title)

GENEVA, March 5 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization chief said on Thursday that it has verified 13 attacks on health infrastructure in Iran amid a U.S.-Israeli campaign, killing four health care workers and injuring 25 others.

"WHO has verified 13 attacks on health care in Iran and one in Lebanon," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, without attributing blame.

By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, March 5 (Reuters) - More than 20,000 Israelis have returned to the country since the start of the Iran air war that began on Saturday, the Transportation Ministry said on Thursday, adding that about 120,000 more Israelis currently abroad are seeking to come home.

Israel began to open its airspace on Thursday and allowed a handful of flights to land at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

Iranian authorities were issuing warnings to people connecting to the internet in defiance of a communications blackout that had left the Islamic republic largely cut off from the outside world, witnesses told AFP on Thursday.

Iran's internet connectivity was currently running at "around 1 percent of ordinary levels", monitor group Netblocks said on Thursday, leaving most Iranians struggling to access basic information, navigation tools or communication apps.

By Laila Bassam

BEIRUT, March 5 (Reuters) - Hezbollah has deployed elite fighters to confront Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, sending them back into the border region from which they withdrew after a war in 2024, three Lebanese sources familiar with the deployments said, as the Iran-backed group wades deeper into the conflict in the Middle East.

The Middle East war has forced the World Health Organization to suspend operations at its global emergency logistics hub in Dubai, the UN agency's chief said Thursday.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the impact of the conflict, sparked by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday, "goes beyond the immediately affected countries".

"Operations at WHO's logistics hub for global health emergencies in Dubai are currently on hold due to insecurity," he told a press conference.

By Alexander Cornwell and Rami Ayyub

TEL AVIV, March 5 (Reuters) - Israel's war in Iran is entering a second phase that will see its fighter jets attacking ballistic missile sites buried deep underground, two sources familiar with Israel's military campaign said.

The joint air assault with the U.S. in Iran is nearing the end of its first week after opening salvos killed the country's leaders and set off a regional war with Iranian attacks in Israel, the Gulf and Iraq, and Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

BRUSSELS, March 5 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Reuters on Thursday the alliance was vigilant and ready to defend every inch of its territory after Iran fired a ballistic missile towards NATO member Turkey.

Rutte also addressed France's shift in nuclear doctrine and responded to criticism from some over the way he lavishes praise on U.S. President Donald Trump.

Here are highlights from the interview.

ON SHOOTING DOWN OF BALLISTIC MISSILE HEADED FOR TURKEY