KABUL (Pajhwok): Britain is deploying its Rapid Sentry air defence system to Kuwait to help protect British and Kuwaiti interests in the Gulf, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Friday.
Reuters reported that the move follows an overnight drone attack by Iran on an oil facility in Kuwait.
Starmer discussed the deployment during a phone call with Kuwait’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, on Friday morning, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“The Prime Minister began by condemning the reckless overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery,” the spokesperson said, adding that he reaffirmed the UK’s support for Kuwait and its allies in the Gulf.
The spokesperson said the leaders also discussed the deployment of the UK’s air defence system, designed to counter drones and other low-flying aerial threats.
The system aims to protect British and Kuwaiti personnel and interests in the region while avoiding escalation into a wider conflict.
Starmer and the crown prince also discussed disruptions to global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and welcomed a meeting chaired by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Thursday to develop a plan to reopen the vital shipping route.
sa
