LONDON – Britain is deploying additional fighter jets and different property to the Center East amid the escalating battle between Israel and Iran, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has mentioned.
Under, AFP takes a take a look at the UK’s navy presence within the area.
– ‘Contingency assist’ –
Starmer informed reporters travelling with him on his airplane to Canada for G7 talks on Saturday that Britain was “transferring property to the area, together with jets… for contingency assist”.
The jets are Eurofighter Storm planes, in response to Britain’s defence ministry.
Extra refuelling plane have additionally been deployed from UK bases, in response to Downing Road.
Royal Air Power fighter planes are already within the area as a part of Operation Shader, the codename given to Britain’s contribution to the worldwide marketing campaign in opposition to the Islamic State group.
RAF Storm jets aided Israel in April 2024 once they shot down an unspecified variety of drones fired by Iran, as confirmed by the UK’s then-prime minister, Rishi Sunak.
Starmer, Sunak’s successor, refused to take a position whether or not the UK would turn into immediately concerned this time within the battle between the arch foes, which entered their fourth day on Monday.
Iran threatened to focus on American, British and French bases if Western nations intervened to cease Iranian strikes on Israel.
Tehran additionally urged London, Paris and Berlin to strain Israel to cease its lethal assaults on Iran.
– Air bases –
The UK Ministry of Defence didn’t affirm the place the fighter jets had been heading to however the BBC reported they might be working from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain’s largest air drive base within the area.
The everlasting joint working base is the place RAF jets fly from for Operation Shader.
Transport, air-to-air refuelling and reconnaissance plane function from there and Britain’s different base on Cyprus at Dhekelia.
The RAF’s operational headquarters within the Center East is housed at Al Udeid air base in Qatar, a website that can be utilized by the US Air Power.
Britain’s air drive additionally operates from Al Minhad air base within the United Arab Emirates and Al Musannah air base in Oman, in response to info offered by the UK parliament.
– Navy and armed forces –
The British Royal Navy’s major operations website within the Center East is the UK Naval Assist Facility in Bahrain within the Gulf.
A sort-23 frigate is completely primarily based there, as are 4 mine-counter vessels and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, in response to analysis complied by the Home of Commons library.
The navy has additionally operated a logistics base at Duqm port in Oman, by the Arabian Sea, since 2018.
The British Military completely deploys two infantry battalions to the bases on Cyprus.
Some 2,220 British troopers had been stationed there as of April final yr, in response to Ministry of Defence (MoD) statistics.
UK troops are additionally concerned in coaching Iraqi and Kurdish safety forces in combatting IS.
200 personnel had been deployed on operations in Iraq as of January 2024, in response to the MoD.
