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British forces were attacked when an Iranian drone swarm struck a joint UK–US base in Erbil, Iraq, confirmed defence chiefs.
Air defence personnel successfully intercepted and destroyed two uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs); however, several other drones evaded countermeasures and impacted the installation.
Brigadier Guy Foden, the assistant chief of staff for operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters, stated, “Last night, they shot down two UAVs approaching the camp. However, several UAVs did impact the camp.”
He described the strikes as demonstrating “increasing coordination” between attacks on multiple locations in the region.
Lieutenant General Nick Perry, Chief of Joint Operations, confirmed the attack on the Erbil base, which supports British personnel involved in defence operations in Iraq.
Brigadier Foden also noted that the UK had conducted air combat patrols over Jordan and the UAE, as well as multiple sorties over Qatar, with British pilots logging 300 flight hours since the conflict began.
This incident highlights the growing threat posed by Iranian drone operations in the Middle East and underscores the ongoing risks faced by coalition forces in the region.
Chief of Joint Operations told the British Defence Secretary John Healey in a briefing: “We are also doing some really important work in Iraq.
As mentioned, both Erbil and Baghdad were struck a number of times last night, and we are seeing increasing coordination in those attacks.
“We have personnel in Erbil who are currently helping with the defence of the base.
“Last night they shot down two UAVs approaching the camp. A number of other UAVs did impact the camp, but there were no British casualties. Their operations have therefore been fairly continuous since the situation began.”
The vital Strait of Hormuz, which is blocked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is preventing oil, gas, and other vital fuels from travelling around the world.
Healey was asked if British troops would participate in patrols in the Strait. He replied, “So firstly, these are early days.
“The reports of Iran mining the Straits is becoming established. The evidence and number of commercial ships being attacked is becoming established.
“The two things that I think are most significant are, first, that recognising the huge impact that this potentially has on oil prices and on people’s cost of living around the world.
“There is an international imperative and incentive to try and see this resolved.
“Big steps like the record release of reserve oil helps, but doesn’t solve the problem.
“And the second is a realism that in a in circumstances of conflict, demining any waters is extremely difficult and therefore, in addition to the additional options that, of course, as Defence Secretary, I’m discussing with our planners, in part, reflecting the fact that I’ve already got some demining autonomous systems in place in the region since before the conflict.
“In the end, this is likely to be most quickly sorted and the Straits are most likely to be quickly opened by a de-escalation of the conflict, by a greater stabilisation and confidence in the region and by all those nations that want to see the statues reopened being willing to work together.”
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