HMS Dragon will head to Cyprus in next couple of days, says defence secretary

"HMS Dragon will set sail in the next couple of days, the defence secretary has said, meaning the British destroyer may not arrive in the eastern Mediterranean until after the weekend. John Healey told the House of Commons that navy crews were working tirelessly, 22 hours a day to prepare the warship, as he faced accusations of not acting fast enough to protect British interests in the region."

"France has already deployed its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier into the eastern Mediterranean and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, met with Cyprus's president, Nikos Christodoulides, and Greece's prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Monday. Britain has faced criticism from Cyprus from not acting fast enough to protect the country, home to two UK bases, after the drone attack."

"James Cartlidge, the shadow defence spokesperson, complained that France, Greece and Spain had already sent warships to Cyprus. Labour's failure to deploy the Royal Navy to the eastern Mediterranean has completely undermined our international standing, he said."

HMS Dragon, a British destroyer, is preparing to deploy to the eastern Mediterranean following a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Defence Secretary John Healey announced the warship will sail within days, though it may not arrive until after the weekend due to the five to seven-day sailing time from Portsmouth. The deployment was proposed six days ago and approved approximately 36 hours after the drone attack during ongoing US-Israel operations against Iran. Britain has faced criticism for slower action compared to France, which deployed its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, and Greece and Spain, which sent warships. Opposition figures argue the delayed response undermines British international standing, while Healey countered that previous Conservative governments underfunded defence capabilities.

Read at www.theguardian.com