The British government said it will expand air-defense support across the Middle East.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, Defence Secretary John Healey, who is on a tour of partner countries in the region, met with Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and confirmed the UK’s Sky Sabre missile-defence system and artillery units are due to deploy this week.
Visiting Dukhan air base in Qatar, Healey announced an extension of the Typhoon fighter deployment.
The joint UK–Qatar Typhoon squadron has carried out combined defensive operations since the first day of the Iran war.
The UK also deployed lightweight, multi-role missile launchers to Bahrain to bolster short-range air defenses, and sent the short-range air-defence system Rapid Sentry along with the anti-drone system Orcus (ORCUS) to Kuwait.
The BBC reported Healey told reporters that roughly 1,000 personnel have been deployed to defend the Gulf region and Cyprus.
The announcement came as President Trump repeatedly criticized allies for what he described as a passive stance.
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Hye-jun Lim (junelim@yna.co.kr)
