HMS Dragon, the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer being prepped in Portsmouth for drone and missile defence, is expected to set sail for the Mediterranean by next week.
Other European navies have also reacted to protect sovereign interests as Operation Epic Fury, the Israeli-supported U.S. operation aiming to topple the Iranian regime, continues.
Retaliatory strikes by Tehran and its proxies continue to endanger foreign nationals and military personnel in a number of adjacent Middle Eastern and eastern Mediterranean territories.
France has diverted its primary carrier strike group (CSG) to the eastern Mediterranean in response to escalating regional tensions. Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, along with its full escort and air wing, has been retasked from planned exercises in northern Europe.
The French Navy has also dispatched Aquitaine-class FREMM frigate Languedoc; she was scheduled to arrive off the coast of Cyprus this week.
In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that action needed to be taken with the Straits of Hormuz effectively closed and other key regional shipping routes such as the Suez Canal and Red Sea also under threat.
Yesterday (Wednesday) the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report of a container ship being hit by an “unknown projectile” off Oman’s north coast in the Straits of Hormuz, causing a fire in its engine room.
And today (Thursday) it said a tanker at anchor off Kuwait reported “witnessing and hearing a large explosion on the port side then seeing a small craft leave the vicinity.” There was oil in the water coming from a cargo tank and the vessel had taken on water.
Meanwhile, Greek authorities have also deployed naval and air assets to support the Republic of Cyprus. The Hellenic Navy’s newest French-built FDI frigate HS Kimon was deployed on Tuesday and Hydra-class frigate HS Psara, equipped with the Centaur anti-drone system, has also been dispatched, along with four Hellenic Air Force F-16 jet fighters.
Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias stated on Tuesday: “Throughout the current crisis, Greece will contribute in every possible way to the defence of the Republic of Cyprus.”
The U.K. Ministry of Defence has stated that once on station HMS Dragon will reinforce “RAF Typhoons, F-35B jets, ground-based counter-drone teams, radar systems, and Voyager refuelling aircraft already deployed.”
Once departed, it’s anticipated her journey to Cyprus will take about a week. Two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron armed with Martlet missiles are expected to arrive in Cyprus this week.