"My first job as defence secretary is to protect those British people - civilians and military - our British bases, reinforce regional security and do all we can to prevent further regional escalation. I know people at home will be worried that not just military targets were hit yesterday but we've also seen hotels in Dubai and Bahrain, Kuwait's civilian airport."
"But in that Bahrain military base that was hit by missiles and drones yesterday, we had 300 British personnel, some within several hundred yards of the strike. Now, we're pretty sure they weren't targeted at Cyprus. But nevertheless it demonstrates how our bases, our personnel - military and civilians - at the moment are at risk with a regime that is increasingly indiscriminate, widespread and uncontrolled in the attacks it is mounting."
UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated that protecting British civilians and military personnel at Middle Eastern bases from Iranian attacks is his primary responsibility. British military personnel at a Bahrain base were within several hundred yards of Iranian retaliatory missile and drone strikes. Two ballistic missiles were fired toward Cyprus, though not believed to be targeted there. Healey emphasized that Iranian attacks have become increasingly indiscriminate, hitting civilian infrastructure including hotels and airports. The UK did not participate in US-Israeli strikes on Iran but has reinforced regional defenses with additional radars, planes, and weapons systems. The government is reviewing UK terror threat levels amid concerns about potential Iranian retaliation.
Read at www.bbc.com
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