Britain is sending a warship to Cyprus to defend an RAF base that was hit by an Iranian drone on Monday morning.
Air defence destroyer HMS Dragon and helicopters with counter-drone capabilities are being deployed to Cyprus to protect British military personnel stationed on the island.
Announcing the move, the prime minister wrote on social media: “The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there. We’re continuing our defensive operations and I’ve just spoken with [Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides] to let him know that we are sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the region.”
The UK currently has no ability to defend Cyprus against ballistic missile attacks, but HMS Dragon and its crew of around 200 sailors could reach RAF Akrotiri within a week.
The defence secretary, John Healey, met with senior military figures in the last 24 hours, in which they discussed sending a warship to the region, according to The Times which cited three difference sources.
Earlier on Tuesday, a government spokesperson would not comment on the specifics of any plans with the ship but said that ministers were “looking hard” at whether to engage various assets.
The UK has been under pressure to expand its operation in the region after an Iranian-made drone hit the runway at the Akrotiri base in the early hours of Monday causing what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) described as "minimal damage".
Cypriot officials said the strike had most likely been fired from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
If confirmed, it would mark the first time that Hezbollah has directly targeted UK forces.
The UK government has not confirmed whether it believes the base was specifically targeted – but it has said that Iran has targeted UK assets.
A UK security source suggested on Monday that Iran could continue targeting UK assets – economic and civilian – for a week.
The Cypriot government has criticised Britain’s handling of the conflict so far, while US President Donald Trump said that Starmer had "not been helpful", adding he "never thought I'd see that from the UK".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday: "Our bases in Cyprus are not being used by US bombers ... The security of our friends and partners in Cyprus is of critical importance. And I want to be clear, the strike on Akrotiri in Cyprus was not in response to any decision we’ve taken. In our assessment the drone was launched prior to our announcement.”
Earlier on Tuesday, there were reports that France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus.
An MoD spokesperson said: “Our Armed Forces continue to fly defensive air missions to defend our people, bases, and partners in the region. We won’t provide running detail on specific operations or deployments. We keep our current capability in the region under constant review.”
Jewish leaders have called for the UK to back more targeted action.
The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “astonishing” that after the regime’s apparent targeting of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, “the government has emphasised its decision not to become directly involved in responding to this threat.
“At a time of escalating regional instability, we believe the UK should take clear and robust steps to address the threat posed by the Iranian regime.”
It said the UK had “fail[ed] to take meaningful action.”
Senior figures in the Conservative Party and Reform UK also claimed the UK should have reacted faster to the attack on RAF Akrotiri on Sunday.
Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, claimed the prime minister had been “dragged kicking and screaming towards doing the right thing” and said that both main parties have “failed miserably” on national security.
James Cartildge, the shadow defence secretary, said a warship “must go and go now – we need the highly capable air defence it provides to protect RAF Akrotiri.”
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