- HMS Diamond in Gulf
- UK deploys warship
- Joint Expeditionary Force
The action, according to the Defence Secretary, is intended to prevent the ongoing dispute between Israel and Hamas from becoming a regional conflict. It is the United Kingdom’s most significant military decision since the onset of the current conflict.
Following Israel’s conflict with Hamas, the United Kingdom is dispatching one of its most lethal warships to the Gulf to deter Iran and Iranian-backed organisations from posing a growing threat to shipping.
The utilisation of HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer equipped with aerial missile capability, is a response to the hijacking of a cargo ship associated with Israel by Houthi militants in Yemen last week in the Red Sea and the subsequent rescue operation of another vessel by the US military on Sunday.
Defence Secretary’s Statement
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps stated that he was bolstering an ongoing Royal Navy maritime security operation in the Gulf to prevent a regional conflict from escalating from the current crisis between Israel and Hamas, sponsored by Tehran.
“This is a reaction to the current situation in the region,” he explained at a press conference.
The senior minister added, “It is vital that the United Kingdom strengthens its presence in the region to protect itself and its interests from a more volatile and contested world.”
The deployment of a destroyer represents the most significant military action publicly announced by the United Kingdom since a conflict erupted due to a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
It transpired after two surveillance aircraft and support vessels were allocated to the area.
The United States, however, has made the most substantial efforts to de-escalate the crisis and dissuade Iran. In doing so, it has dispatched two enormous aircraft carrier strike groups to the region and, in an unusual move, has even signalled the presence of a submarine.
HMS Diamond of the United Kingdom will participate in Operation Kipion, an ongoing mission based in Bahrain that collaborates with allied navies to bolster maritime security for commercial vessels traversing the Indian Ocean and the Gulf.
The operation was especially active in 2019 due to the escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, and other allies during the administration of Donald Trump.
The Royal Navy destroyer, equipped with a Wildcat helicopter, will accompany HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 frigate, three smaller minehunters, and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Mr. Shapps stated that Arab leaders would well receive the increased British presence as a stabilizing force. “We will be working in the region to assure our many partners there.”
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship’s capture by Houthi militants last week increased apprehension regarding the security of crucial commercial transportation routes in the area.
At least seven masked men, brandishing what appeared to be AK-47s, were captured on video by the militants descending from a helicopter and alighting on the upper deck of the vessel.
It purportedly depicted the militants boarding the vessel while simultaneously hoisting the flags of Yemen and Palestine.
According to Israeli officials, the Japanese operated the vessel, and the British owned it. However, public shipping database ownership information linked the ship’s proprietors to Ray Car Carriers, an enterprise established by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, a highly affluent individual in Israel.
Convoy to Europe
In addition to the Gulf mission, the Defence Secretary declared that a task force comprising seven ships of the Royal Navy will embark on a mission in European waters early next month alongside allies. Aiming to safeguard vital underwater infrastructure, including cables, renowned as valuable targets for adversarial nations like Russia.
The joint patrols will mark the inaugural operation of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), an alliance of ten European nations commanded by the United Kingdom and operating accordingly.
Conducting the mission across a vast expanse, from the English Channel to the Baltic Sea.
Threat prevention will be the objective to safeguard a vast array of critical infrastructure that traverses the seafloor, including oil and gas pipelines, undersea communications lines, and more.
Two Royal Navy frigates, two offshore patrol vessels and mine countermeasures vessels, and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship accompanied by a Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will comprise the United Kingdom’s contribution to the deployment.
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