UK Deploys Additional Fighter Jets to Qatar as Regional Tensions Escalate
Speaking to reporters, Starmer said four Typhoon fighter jets will be deployed to Qatar to reinforce an existing Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron in the Gulf state.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Britain is sending additional fighter jets to Qatar as the war in the Middle East widens, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Thursday, while Defense Secretary John Healey visited Cyprus following a drone strike on a British air base earlier this week.
Speaking to reporters, Starmer said four Typhoon fighter jets will be deployed to Qatar to reinforce an existing Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron in the Gulf state.
“The aircraft will strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and across the region,” he said.
The announcement came as Healey arrived in Cyprus days after a drone attack targeted the RAF base at Akrotiri, a key British military facility on the Mediterranean island.
According to British officials, an Iranian-made unmanned drone struck a hangar at the base on Monday. Two additional drones detected the same day were intercepted and shot down by British warplanes.
During his visit, Healey met with Cypriot Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas to discuss security cooperation and regional defense measures.
In a post on X, Healey said the two sides discussed how “the UK is further reinforcing our air defenses to support our shared security.”
The British government also announced additional defensive deployments to Cyprus. Starmer said two Wildcat helicopters, equipped with Martlet missiles capable of intercepting drones, are expected to arrive on the island on Friday.
The developments come amid criticism from Cypriot authorities over the UK government’s handling of the drone incident. Cyprus’s High Commissioner to the UK, Kyriacos Kouros, said residents had expressed concern over the level of information shared with the public.
“People are disappointed, people are scared, and they expected more,” Kouros told the BBC’s Newsnight program on Wednesday.
Britain maintains significant military facilities in Cyprus, which have become increasingly important for regional operations as tensions escalate across the Middle East.