While the UK Defence Secretary, John Healey, presented the Parliament on Monday with actions taken by the United Kingdom to strengthen its military forces in the Middle East, particularly in Cyprus, while British media wrote about French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the island and the warm welcome he received from Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides.
Healey gave a detailed presentation of the deployment of additional British military assets to the Middle East. Among other things, he said that four additional Typhoon fighter jets, three Wildcat helicopters and one Merlin helicopter have already been deployed, while the destroyer HMS Dragon is expected to set sail in the coming days.
The British Minister also said that the Royal Air Force has already carried out more than 230 hours of flights, while eight fighter aircraft are operating from Qatar as part of a joint UK–Qatari squadron.
He also said that since January the bases in Cyprus have been reinforced with 400 personnel, mainly an air defence unit, as Healey noted.
According to him, the unmanned aircraft that struck the British base at RAF Akrotiri likely originated from Lebanon or Iraq. The drone’s debris, he said, is being analysed by specialists in order to determine its origin.
Healey, who recently visited Cyprus, stated that British forces on the island remain on daily alert due to air defence warnings, adding that military personnel are directly facing the consequences of the escalating crisis in the region.
