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  "path": "/partner/uk-warplanes-down-drones-in-middle-east-conduct-defensive-sorties-for-uae",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-09T21:28:01.000Z",
  "site": "https://nukta.com",
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nBritish warplanes have begun \"defensive air sorties\" in support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and taken out drones elsewhere in the Middle East amid the ongoing war, the UK defense ministry said Monday.\n\nThe development came as Britain's response to the conflict was under criticism, including from the U.S. president and the Cypriot government.\n\nMore U.S. B-52 bombers landed at the UK air force base in Fairford, in southwestern England, on Monday, AFP witnessed, after a first one landed on Friday.\n\nFairford is one of two bases, along with the Diego Garcia facility in the Indian Ocean, that the UK has given the U.S. permission to use for \"specific defensive operations into Iran\" to destroy Iranian missiles at source, Defense Minister John Healey said.\n\n\"The UK is now conducting defensive air sorties in support of the UAE,\" Healey told MPs in a statement.\n\n\"Typhoons successfully took out two drones, one over Jordan, the second heading to Bahrain.\"\n\nThe foreign office separately announced Monday that \"as a precautionary measure\" dependents of UK embassy staff in the UAE will be temporarily withdrawn from the country.\n\nThe UK's two embassies in the UAE, in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, will however \"continue to operate as normal\", the foreign office said.\n\nThousands of British citizens are thought to be stranded in the UAE because of flight chaos caused by the conflict.\n\nOver 170,000 people in the Middle East have registered their presence with the UK government and three chartered flights have so far taken off, Healey told MPs.\n\nWildcat and Merlin helicopters have arrived in Cyprus and HMS Dragon, a warship with air-defense capabilities, will set sail for the eastern Mediterranean \"in the next couple of days\", Healey said, following criticism from the Cypriot government over the speed of Britain's action to defend the island.\n\nBut Downing street earlier dismissed suggestions that Britain is preparing to send its aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, to the region.\n\n\"HMS Prince of Wales has always been on very high readiness,\" a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.\n\n\"The MoD (Ministry of Defense) is increasing the preparedness of the carrier, reducing the time it would take to set sail for any deployment, but there is no decision taken to deploy her,\" he said.\n\nStarmer and President Donald Trump held a call Sunday about the war, officials said, after fierce criticism of the British premier by the U.S. leader.\n\nTrump had lobbed insults at Starmer over the latter's initial refusal to have any role in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which began on February 28.",
  "title": "UK warplanes down drones in Middle East, conduct 'defensive' sorties for UAE"
}