The UK warship HMS Dragon has departed from Portsmouth to join the country's defensive operations in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Type 45 destroyer, which recently underwent maintenance, will be the UK's first and only warship in the region upon its arrival. Its primary role will be to protect RAF Akrotiri, which was hit by an Iranian-made drone earlier this month.
According to the Royal Navy, HMS Dragon is armed with Sea Viper missiles and will be assisted by Wildcat helicopters from the 815 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Martlet missiles capable of taking out aerial drones.
Defence Secretary's Statement
Defence Secretary John Healey told the House of Commons on Monday that the drone that hit RAF Akrotiri had come from Lebanon or Iraq. He praised the efforts of the Royal Navy to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment, saying it was a "remarkable effort delivered round the clock."
As reported by The Sun, the RAF is due to deliver military medics and a mobile field hospital that can operate aboard the RFA Lyme Bay, a naval support ship that has been placed on "heightened readiness" to support British nationals in the Middle East if needed.
Regional Tensions
The UK government has faced accusations of not responding to the crisis in the Middle East quickly enough. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the UK government's actions were "projecting weakness" and that it needed to do more to help its allies in the region.
The UK has not joined the US and Israel in offensive operations against Iran but has offered the US use of UK airbases to conduct defensive strikes against Iranian missiles and launchpads. The MoD said three Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities had arrived in Cyprus, alongside a Merlin helicopter.
Evacuation Efforts
Defence Secretary John Healey said more than 170,000 people had registered their presence in the region, and that 37,000 UK citizens had been evacuated so far. The first flight chartered by the UK government to bring British nationals home from Oman landed at Stansted on Friday.
British Airways said on Tuesday that it was cancelling its flights to Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv up to and including 28 March, due to airspace restrictions in the region.
