UK staff within 200 metres of Iranian missile attack

Three hundred British service members were positioned within 200 metres (650 ft) of an Iranian missile and drone attack on the U.S. naval facility in Bahrain on Saturday – one of several episodes in which UK forces have become involved in the Middle‑East conflict.

No injuries were reported, and the incident formed part of more than 25 retaliatory strikes launched in response to the extensive U.S.–Israeli bombing campaign against Iran that began on Saturday.

British troops intercepted an Iranian drone over Iraq that was believed to be heading for a western base, while an Iranian missile fell about 400 metres (1,300 ft) from UK personnel conducting counter‑Islamic State operations in the same country.

The United Kingdom is not taking part in the U.S.–Israeli offensive on Iran, which has drawn widespread criticism for lacking a basis in international law, but it is actively engaged in regional defence missions to assist allies under attack.

Defence Secretary John Healey said Iran was “lashing out in an increasingly indiscriminate and widespread way” and that Britain was working to safeguard civilian facilities and military assets.

British aircraft from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and the U.S. al‑Udeid airbase in Qatar have been deployed to intercept drones and slower‑moving cruise missiles, though they are unable to counter faster ballistic projectiles.

All UK personnel stationed in the Middle East are reported to be safe and accounted for. British forces remain on the highest alert level, with their locations and deployments under continual review as the situation evolves.

Since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran – killing the nation’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials – Tehran has responded with attacks on Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan.

Many of the strikes targeted U.S. bases in the region, while others hit Kuwait’s airport, the Fairmont hotel in Dubai and a skyscraper in Bahrain, sites that had previously been regarded as relatively secure.

Iran also launched two missiles into the eastern Mediterranean toward Cyprus. Officials do not think the projectiles were aimed at RAF Akrotiri or Cyprus itself, suggesting they may have been directed at the U.S. Navy’s Ford carrier strike group operating nearby.

Healey added: “People will be rightly concerned that the attacks are not limited to military sites but also hit civilian airports such as in Kuwait, and hotels in Dubai and Bahrain. That is why we have reinforced UK defences in the region.”