Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon will be deployed to Cyprus to defend British bases following a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri on Monday. The vessel, currently in the English Channel, is expected to arrive in about a week, accompanied by two Wildcat helicopters equipped with counter-drone capabilities.
The decision came after a phone call with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and follows a similar pledge by France to send military assets to the island. Critics, including former UK defence attache John Foreman, argued that the deployment was overdue, suggesting the UK had been slow to respond to regional threats.
Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge questioned why HMS Dragon was not already stationed in the region, given the need for air defence at RAF Akrotiri. However, the prime minister's spokesperson stated that adequate defences, including radar systems, air defence, and F-35 jets, were already in place.
The drone that breached air defences at RAF Akrotiri caused minor damage to the runway. Two other drones were intercepted later that day. Cypriot sources believe the drone was launched from Hezbollah-controlled territory in Lebanon, though this has not been confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.
HMS Dragon is a Type 45 destroyer designed to intercept missiles and drones. No large Royal Navy warships are currently deployed in the Middle East, with only a single mine hunter, HMS Middleton, based in Bahrain. The UK has not participated directly in US-Israel strikes on Iran but has been involved in defensive operations, including shooting down drones over Qatar and Iraq.
