RAF jets shoot down drones as fighting intensifies in Middle East
As conflicts intensified in the Middle East, RAF warplanes carried out military operations throughout the night to defend Jordan and Bahrain.
The Defense Ministry said the jets intercepted a drone heading towards Bahrain and disabled the drone to defend Jordan.
Defense Secretary John Healey confirmed the military action and said parts of the drone that crashed into the UK base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, were being examined for “foreign military equipment”.
He also said the destroyer HMS Dragon would head to the Eastern Mediterranean “within the next few days” where it would join US air defense ships.
Mr Healey called for de-escalation in Lebanon and a “return to the negotiation process”.
“We are deeply concerned about the increase in tensions in Lebanon. Hezbollah is a dangerous terrorist organization affiliated with the Iranian regime.”
It needs to stop these attacks on Israel, but we do not want to see Israel extend this conflict to Lebanon.
“More than 400 people have already been killed and half a million displaced in Israel’s latest operations.
“The resolution of these problems and the conflict must be guided by the Lebanese people and the Lebanese government, and we call for de-escalation and a return to the negotiation process.”
His warning came after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the longer the war in the Middle East drags on, the greater the likelihood of economic damage to Britain. Rachel Reeves also said the conflict would “put upward pressure on inflation” in the coming months.
As the war between the USA, Israel and Iran entered its tenth day, conflicts in the Middle East continued to intensify.
Iran has confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei will take over from his slain father as Iran’s supreme leader, after President Donald Trump warned against appointments without his approval.
Israeli attacks on Hezbollah have dealt a heavy blow to southern Lebanon after the UN Refugee Agency warned that more than 500,000 civilians had been displaced.
Human Rights Watch accused Israel of using widely banned white phosphorus in the homes of civilians in Lebanon. The white-hot substance can burn flesh to the bone and set buildings on fire. At least 400 people died and more than 1,000 were injured in the clashes.
Qatar continued to intercept weapons in its airspace on Monday, shooting down 17 ballistic missiles and six unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran.
The war moved towards the Mediterranean when a second Iranian ballistic missile was shot down in NATO airspace by air defense systems in Türkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that his priority would be to keep his country out of the war.
Earlier in the day, Iran denied launching any missiles in the direction of Türkiye or Azerbaijan.
French President Emmanuel Macron sent aid in the form of warships to the Red Sea in what appeared to be an attempt to lift Iran’s siege on the Strait of Hormuz; This triggered fears of a global economic collapse as oil prices rose above $100 per barrel.
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani reiterated that the US and Israel started the war and said it was “unlikely” the efforts would work.
The name of the seventh US soldier killed was determined by the US War Department. 26-year-old Benjamin Pennington died from injuries sustained in the attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia last Sunday.
Israel has promised a new wave of “large-scale” attacks on Tehran, Isfahan and southern Iran.
