Three hundred British personnel were within 200 metres (650ft) of an Iranian missile and drone strike on the US naval base in Bahrain on Saturday, one of several incidents where UK forces have been drawn into the war in the Middle East.
No casualties were reported in the incident, one of more than 25 waves of retaliatory attacks in response to the massive US-Israeli joint bombing campaign launched against Iran on Saturday.
British forces shot down an Iranian drone in Iraq that was said to be headed for a western base in the country, while a Iranian missile landed 400 metres from UK personnel in the country on counter-Islamic State operations.
The UK is not participating in the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which has been widely criticised as having no foundation in international law, but has been actively engaged in regional defence operations to support allies who have come under attack.
John Healey, the UK defence secretary, said Iran was “lashing out in an increasingly indiscriminate and widespread way” and that Britain was seeking to protect civilian sites and military assets.
British jets from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and the American Al Udeid airbase in Qatar have been mobilised to shoot down drones and slower-moving cruise missiles, but cannot stop faster-moving ballistics.
All UK personnel in the Middle East are said to be safe and accounted for. British troops remain on the highest state of alert, with their location and positioning under review as the conflict develops.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran – killing the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and other key officials – Tehran has fought back with strikes on Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan.
Many of the attacks were directed at US bases in the region but others targeted Kuwait’s airport, the Fairmont hotel in Dubai and a skyscraper in Bahrain, all in areas previously considered relatively safe.
Iran also fired two missiles into the eastern Mediterranean Sea in the direction of Cyprus. Officials do not believe they were targeted at RAF Akrotiri or the country more widely, and they may instead have been aimed at the US navy’s Ford carrier strike group operating nearby.
Healey said: “People will be really concerned that it’s not just military targets but civilian airports like [in] Kuwait. Hotels in Dubai and Bahrain are being hit. And so that’s why we’ve strengthened the UK defences in the region.”
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