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British defence secretary John Healey announces that the United Kingdom has deployed Typhoon fighter jets and the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon as part of a mission to secure the
Confirmed
In Short: The UK has announced the deployment of Typhoon fighter jets and the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon as part of a multinational mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK has announced the deployment of Typhoon fighter jets and the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon as part of a multinational mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. More than 40 other nations are involved in the mission, which will begin when conditions allow. The Ministry of Defence stated that the mission is strictly defensive and aims to restore confidence for commercial shipping in the region.
The deployment includes HMS Dragon, which is already on its way to the Middle East, and the RFA Lyme Bay, which is being upgraded with new equipment. The Typhoon jets and HMS Dragon will be ready for any mission to secure the strait, according to the MoD.
In a related development, UK Defence Secretary John Healey offered his support to Sir Keir Starmer, as dozens of Labour MPs called on the prime minister to resign. Healey stated that Sir Keir was leading the country through 'conflicts and looming global crises.
The mission, announced last month by the UK and France, involves more than 1,000 British personnel already deployed in the region, including counter-drone teams and fast jet squadrons. The UK Defence Ministry noted that the mission is defensive and aims to restore confidence for commercial shipping along the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route for global trade.
What's confirmed
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- The UK has said it will contribute drones, fighter jets and a warship to a joint mission aimed at safeguarding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Defence minister John Healey announced the package at a virtual summit of defence ministers on Tuesday.
- More than 40 other nations are involved in the mission, which Healey said would begin when conditions allow.
- More than 1,000 British personnel are already deployed in the region as part of existing defensive operations, including counter-drone teams and fast jet squadrons, the ministry said.
- The Ministry of Defence said the multinational mission - which was announced last month by the UK and France - is strictly defensive and aimed at restoring confidence for commercial shipping along the Strait of Hormuz.
- "With our allies, this multinational mission will be defensive, independent, and credible," Healey said in a statement.
- Under the plan, HMS Dragon - the air defence destroyer that is already on its way to the Middle East - will also "be ready for any mission" to secure the strait, the MoD said.
- It added that another British ship, the RFA Lyme Bay, continues to be upgraded with new equipment, if required for operations in the strait.