British military bases across the Middle East are on heightened alert for reprisal drone and missile attacks after the US bombings of Iran.
Defence Secretary John Healey last night warned the protection of UK personnel deployed overseas was at its ‘highest level’ amid simmering fears America’s onslaught against Tehran’s nuclear facilities could lead to all-out war.
Security measures have been increased at key British installations in the region since Sunday’s early-morning raid, with troops now on high alert for drone attacks, as well as missile and rocket bombardments.
It’s understood warnings have also been issued over the potential use of improvised explosive devices – or ‘IEDs’ – by terrorists near some facilities.
The Ministry of Defence has not said which bases could be at risk. However, those in the region include RAF Akrotiri, where 14 jets are based. The site is a key staging ground for any attack in the Middle East and is of critical importance to Britain.
The ramping up of security measures comes amid increased fears over the protection of British military establishments at home and abroad.
On Saturday, a British man was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on an RAF HQ on behalf of Iran. Hours earlier, on Friday, two pro-Palestinian protesters sparked outrage after breaching the security of RAF Brize Norton and vandalising two jets.
Writing on X last night, Mr Healey said: ‘The safety of UK personnel and bases is my top priority. Force protection is at its highest level, and we deployed additional jets this week.’
Earlier this month, the ease at which cheap drones strapped with explosives could deal a crippling blow to even the most powerful militaries was demonstrated.
In one of its most audacious attacks of the war, Ukraine unleashed ‘swarms’ of kamikaze drones from the backs of trucks to obliterate two of Putin’s key airfields deep inside Russia.
Dubbed ‘Operation Spiderweb’, the co-ordinated strikes left Putin humiliated and seeking revenge – with 40 of his prized doomsday warplanes razed to the ground, costing the Kremlin an estimated £5.2billion, Ukraine’s security service claimed.
Likewise, Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed drones to devastating effect during its onslaught against Ukraine, damaging buildings and power facilities, causing widespread blackouts across the embattled nation.
The explosive charge of kamikaze Shahed-136 model was originally built to level buildings.
However, it can now be fitted with charges designed to kill via fragmentation or thermobaric bombs, with Iran using these drones against targets in Israel in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, Sir Keir Starmer announced he was deploying more RAF Typhoon jets to the Middle East to bolster security around UK bases, which includes naval HQs in Bahrain and Oman, and shared airbases in Qatar and the UAE.
Fourteen jets are currently based RAF Akrotiri. They’re equipped with missiles that can destroy drones and cruise missiles, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said today.
And more than a dozen F-35B stealth jets are also based on the Royal Navy’s newest £6billion aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, which is deployed in the region as part of its global mission to the Far East.
America’s attack on Sunday, dubbed ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, ‘obliterated’ three Iranian nuclear sites, President Donald Trump claimed.
Iran has since promised to respond ‘at a time of its choosing’, with US military bases now in the firing line.
Britain was not involved in the attacks on Iran, ministers have insisted. Iran has not issued a threat directly to the UK but warned those who join any attack against it would feel its wrath.
However, steps are now being taken to ramp up security around British bases to prevent any Iranian onslaught, which could see more patrols by guards, more live rounds being issued to troops on base and the deployment of more radar systems.
Labour minister Mr Pollard today declined to say whether the UK supported US strikes on Iran – but he insisted Britain was ‘not asked to participate’ in the strikes, nor were any of its bases used in support of the bombing runs by America.
Asked whether Britain endorsed the military action taken over the weekend, the Plymouth Sutton & Devonport MP told Times Radio: ‘That was a decision that the US has taken. Our focus has been on the diplomatic effort that is necessary to get a lasting peace.
‘That’s why that’s been the focus of the Prime Minister’s actions over the last few days, it’s why the Defence Secretary, myself, the Foreign Secretary and the minister for the Middle East have been engaging in diplomatic activity in the region, because we need to make sure that there is a route to a lasting peace here.
‘The way to do that is with a diplomatic solution that brings Iran back to the negotiating table.’
However, Mr Pollard added it was ‘imperative that Iran returns to the negotiating table to de-escalate the situation’, to ensure there is a ‘diplomatic solution’ that ‘removes’ Iran’s nuclear programme.
He added Iran must hand over its nuclear materials and commit to not developing a nuclear weapon in the future as part of de-escalation.
Asked whether the UK was disappointed or pleased about American strikes, he told Sky News: ‘Well, it’s not for me to comment on the particular US action, but we’re assessing the battle damage at the moment to understand the true extent of the strikes
‘But our focus and the work that we are doing in conjunction with our US allies as well as those across Europe, is to put the pressure on the Iranian regime to get back to negotiating because a diplomatic solution is how we bring this crisis to an end.’
Grilled further, it was put to the Labour minister it was specifically his role to comment on military action around the world.
‘I’m not going to be able to comment on that question, but what we can say is that we were not involved in the military action that the US took,’ he replied.
He added Britain’s focus was also on putting ‘pressure on the Iranian regime to get back to negotiations’.
‘A diplomatic solution is how we bring this crisis to an end, with Iran not able to create a nuclear weapon, handing over their nuclear materials that they possess, and giving commitments that they won’t threaten regional stability by developing a nuclear weapon in the future,’ he said.
The news comes after a chilling defence review revealed Vladimir Putin could overwhelm Britain’s defences with swarms of explosive kamikaze drones, long-range missiles and crippling cyber hacks if the UK had to fight a war this year.
The landmark Strategic Defence Review (SDR), released earlier this month, exposed the vulnerabilities the UK needs to urgently fix to prepare for war.
In a comprehensive 144-page document defence chiefs outlined the five terrifying ‘methods of attack’ Britain should brace itself for if it was forced into a major conflict with the likes of Russia.
Military bases, ports and airfields in the UK and around the world would be the first to come under siege, blasted by waves of drones and long-range cruise, ballistic or hypersonic missiles.
Oil rigs, subsea cables, satellite communications and merchant vessels would also find themselves in the crosshairs of any onslaught by Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, with saboteurs seeking to damage or destroy them.
And a shadowy digital army of hackers would also launch a devastating barrage of cyber attacks, targeting government bodies, stock exchanges, communications and other critical infrastructure in a bid to paralyse Britain.
The SDR warned: ‘Based on the current way of war, if the UK were to fight a state-on-state war as part of Nato in 2025, it could expect to be subject to some or all of the following methods of attack:
- Attacks on the armed forces in the UK and on overseas bases
- Air and missile strikes from long range drones, cruise and ballistic missiles targeting military infrastructure and critical national infrastructure
- Increased sabotage and cyber attacks
- Attempts to disrupt the UK economy – especially the industry that supports the armed forces – through cyber attacks, intercepting shipping trade and attacks on space-based infrastructure
- Efforts to manipulate information and undermine social cohesion and political will
Among the key targets would be the Royal Navy’s three main bases in Portsmouth, Plymouth and Clyde, as well as overseas HQs like RAF Akoritiri, the RAF’s new base in the Middle East at Al Minhad Air Base and the Diego Garcia outpost in the Indian Ocean.
Describing the threat faced by Britain, the review continued: ‘The UK and its allies are once again directly threatened by other states with advanced military forces.
‘The UK is already under daily attack, with aggressive acts – from espionage to cyber-attack and information manipulation – causing harm to society and the economy.
‘State conflict has returned to Europe, with Russia demonstrating its willingness to use military force, inflict harm on civilians, and threaten the use of nuclear weapons to achieve its goals.
‘More broadly, the West’s long-held military advantage is being eroded as other countries modernise and expand their armed forces at speed, while the United States’ (US) security priorities are changing, as its focus turns to the Indo-Pacific and to the protection of its homeland.’
The defence dossier also warned of: ‘Air and missile attack from long-rage drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, targeting military infrastructure and critical national infrastructure in the UK.’
Currently, Britain has a limited air defence capability – with military chiefs and experts previously warning the nation would be overwhelmed if it faced a drone and missile onslaught on the scale of those seen in Ukraine, Russia and Israel.
In a devastating verdict on the state of the UK’s defences, the SDR said today’s armed forces are ‘not currently optimised for warfare’, with inadequate stockpiles of weapons, poor recruitment and plummeting morale.
‘The international chessboard has been tipped over,’ a team of three experts that led the review wrote in a foreword to the document.
‘In a world where the impossible today is becoming the inevitable tomorrow, there can be no complacency about defending our country.’
MailOnline has approached the MoD for comment.
