UK sends counter-drone helicopters and HMS Dragon to Cyprus

HMS Dragon is being deployed to Cyprus (Picture: PA)

The UK is sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and air defence destroyer HMS Dragon to protect British military personnel in Cyprus,the Prime Minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer confirmed the UK would be sending HMS Dragon,one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 air defence destroyers,after RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus was hit by a drone.

Sir Keir posted on X: ‘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 the president of Cyprus to let him know that we are sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the region.

‘We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies.’

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.The announcement comes after the UK government was weighing up the option to dispatch the Type 45 missile destroyer HMS Duncan to the Middle East.The escalation in the conflict in the region continues on its third day after joint US–Israel airstrikes over the weekend,and Iran’s retaliation targeting its neighbours and American interests.US allies are struggling to avoid being drawn into the conflict,which has put global security,trade and travel at risk.As hundreds of thousands of British nationals are stranded in the region after the closure of airspaces and limited flights,ministers are drawing up plans on how to bring people home.Most flights to and from Doha and Dubai,one of the busiest airports in the world,have been cancelled.Rumours around HMS Duncan’s deployment suggest it could be used to evacuate Britons.The iconic Burj Al Arab hotel on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah was set on fire after an Iranian missile strike on Saturday (Picture: Noor Pictures/Shutterstock)The escalation of the conflict has also spilt into Beirut,Lebanon,where buildings were reduced to rubble after Israel carried out attacks following threats from the pro-Iran militant group Hezbollah (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)A charter flight organised by the government is set to take off from Muscat,Oman,‘in the coming days,’ Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.Oman is one of the few Gulf countries where flights are still operating,sparking an exodus of people from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to cross the border to find alternative flights.The Prime Minister said yesterday that the UK would not join US-Israeli strikes against Iran,citing the ‘mistakes of Iraq.’He said: ‘We all remember the mistakes of Iraq,and we have learned those lessons. Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis,and a viable thought-through plan.‘That is the principle that I applied to the decisions that I made over the weekend.’People inspect the ruins of a Tehran police station struck yesterday after bombardment (Picture: AP)Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump are at loggerheads over the UK’s initial decision to block the US from using the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean in the first strikes against Iran.Sir Keir finally gave permission yesterday so that the US military could use British bases.But the response drew criticism from Trump,who said he was ‘very disappointed’ over the initial refusal.Yesterday,a sovereign British air base,the RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus,was hit by drones.France said it is planning to send air defence systems to the Mediterranean island after the incident.Sir Keir said the drone attack was not in retaliation to his decision to permit US military presence on Chagos Islands.Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at . Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.For more stories like this,check our news page.