LONDON, March 31 — Britain will provide additional air defense support to Gulf partners as regional tensions continue to escalate, according to a statement released by the British government on Tuesday.
British Defense Secretary John Healey confirmed a series of new deployments during a visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, the statement said.
These include an extension of the deployment of British Typhoon fighter jets in Qatar, the dispatch of the Sky Sabre air defense system to Saudi Arabia, and the integration of Britain’s Lightweight Multirole Launcher into Bahrain’s air defenses.
The Rapid Sentry, a ground-based air defense missile system, has arrived in Kuwait, where the Royal Air Force’s ORCUS drone-detection system is already operating.
In Saudi Arabia, Healey held talks with leaders and defense officials from the three Gulf countries on the conflict in the Middle East, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for world’s oil, and broader Britain-Gulf cooperation on regional security.
The latest tensions erupted on Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities. Since then, the attacks have continued, targeting key Iranian military command centers, missile installations, energy infrastructures and nuclear facilities.
In response, Iran has launched over 80 waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. military facilities across the Middle East.
In a major escalation, Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only ships it considers non-hostile to pass. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
