British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that four Typhoon fighter jets would be deployed to Qatar, reinforcing the existing Royal Air Force squadron stationed in the Gulf States. Starmer said the move was aimed at strengthening Britain's defence operations in Qatar and across the broader Middle East region, as tensions continue to escalate.
The announcement came as Defence Minister John Healey touched down in Cyprus, following a drone attack on a British air base on the island. Starmer confirmed that two Wildcat helicopters, equipped with Martlet missiles designed specifically for intercepting drones, would arrive in Cyprus by Friday. He also ordered the deployment of HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air defence destroyer capable of launching eight missiles in under 10 seconds and guiding up to 16 missiles simultaneously, though officials indicated the vessel would not depart until the following week.
The military build-up follows an Iranian unmanned drone strike on an aircraft hangar at the Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri on Monday. British forces subsequently shot down two additional drones later that same day. During his visit to Cyprus on Thursday, Healey met with his Cypriot counterpart, Vasilis Palmas, and shared a photograph of the meeting on X, noting that they had discussed how the United Kingdom could further strengthen its air defences in support of both nations' shared security interests.
Starmer, who has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties for allegedly responding too slowly in deploying resources to Cyprus, pushed back against the accusations. He maintained that the government had been moving fighter jets, air defence missiles and advanced radar systems to the region throughout January and February. UK Typhoon and F-35B jets have been operational in the Middle East since hostilities began on Saturday with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The Prime Minister initially declined to participate in the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran but subsequently agreed to a US request permitting the use of two British military bases for what was described as a "specific and limited defensive purpose". The facilities in question are located in Gloucestershire, in western England, and on the UK-US Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean. Starmer was adamant that the Akrotiri base had not been utilised by American bombers.
