Nicosia, Cyprus. The United Kingdom’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon has arrived in waters off Cyprus, UK Defence Secretary John Healey told parliament on Monday. He said the ship will begin “operational integration into Cyprus’ defence”.
Deployment following drone strike on Akrotiri base
HMS Dragon sailed from Portsmouth on March 10 after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced its deployment alongside two AW159 Wildcat helicopters. The announcement followed an Iranian-made drone striking the British Akrotiri air force base earlier in the month.
Starmer later addressed concerns about delays, telling the UK parliament that the ship was being “carefully … loaded with the anti-strike ammunition and capability that it needs” before it sailed eight days after the strike.
Additional UK personnel and aircraft in the region
The British defence ministry said over the weekend it had deployed 500 “additional personnel” to UK bases in Cyprus. It also said the UK has “more jets flying in the region than at any time in the last 15 years” and that British pilots “have now exceeded 700 flying hours” in operations related to the conflict.
A third Wildcat helicopter and a Merlin Mk2 helicopter were also sent to the island. Healey said “top experts” had arrived “to help coordinate the air defences”.
Further naval movements and UK assurances to Cyprus
The dock landing ship RFA Lyme Bay sailed from Gibraltar last week and is en route to Cyprus.
HMS Dragon’s arrival followed Starmer telling President Nikos Christodoulides that Cyprus’ security is “fundamental” to the UK and reiterating that UK bases in Cyprus “will not be used for any offensive military operations”.
UK warning to Iran and Strait of Hormuz context
The British foreign office said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi against further attacks on British bases. It also said the UK gave permission for the United States to use UK bases on the UK mainland and in the Indian Ocean to strike Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint between the most northerly point of Oman and Iran’s southern coast and provides the only seaborne access between the Persian Gulf and the open ocean. The Iranian government earlier in the month effectively closed the strait by mining the waters and firing on ships attempting to pass through it.
What do you think the arrival of HMS Dragon will mean for security coordination around Cyprus?
