LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the king of Bahrain that four jets the UK is deploying to Qatar could be used to help defend the kingdom from Iranian missile and drone strikes against Gulf states.
"The Prime Minister also offered further defensive air cover from these jets for Bahrain to bolster their security," Starmer told King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in a call late on Thursday, according to a readout from Starmer's office on Friday.
"His majesty welcomed the confirmation, and they agreed operational teams would work together on plans in the coming days."
The British ambassador to Bahrain said the UK would be part of “defending” Bahrain by having the RAF fighter jets flying over the island.
“Today, I’m delighted to tell to people that the UK will be flying RAF jets above Bahrain as a contribution to the defense of Bahrain, one of our closest allies in the whole world,” Ambassador Alastair Long said.
