British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Friday that Britain will deploy its Rapid Sentry air defense system to Kuwait to help safeguard British and Kuwaiti interests in the Gulf, according to Reuters.
The announcement followed an overnight strike that hit Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery early Friday, causing fires in several operational units with no injuries.
“The Prime Minister began by condemning the reckless overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery,” the spokesperson said.
In a statement, the company said it is closely monitoring air quality in areas surrounding the refinery, adding that no adverse environmental impacts have been recorded so far following the attack.
Currently, emergency response and firefighting teams are working to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading.
Starmer discussed the deployment in a call with Kuwait’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah, on Friday morning, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“He reiterated that the UK stands with Kuwait and all our allies in the Gulf,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson said the two leaders discussed the deployment of the UK’s air defense system, designed primarily to intercept drones and other low-flying aerial threats, to Kuwait.
The initiative is intended to safeguard Kuwaiti and British personnel and interests in the region, while seeking to avoid further escalation into a wider war.
Moreover, Iran struck a power and water desalination plant on Friday, causing material damage to parts of the facility, according to the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy.
Iran War
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East. These strikes have killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top security and defense officials in the country.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies especially after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
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