UK troops in Cyprus 'ready to act' with forces playing an 'important' role in preventing escalation

7 October 2024, 09:35 | Updated: 7 October 2024, 11:13

Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Defence Secretary John Healey | 07/10/24

Defence Secretary John Healey has told LBC that 700 UK troops in Cyprus are 'ready to act' in the face of further developments in the Middle East.

Speaking with Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Mr Healey responded to claims made by ex-defence secretary Ben Wallace noting UK armed forces don't have the necessary infrastructure to protect Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks.

Mr Healey dismissed the idea on Thursday, told Nick that the UK had successfully brought down ballistic missiles fired by Iranian proxy groups earlier this year.

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He said: "We have demonstrated earlier this year, we can bring down ballistic missiles that are fired by Iranian, Iranian proxy groups.

"I won't get into that operational detail, but our UK military is playing a really important part in preventing wider regional escalation, helping humanitarian support in the Middle East," he told Nick.

Mr Healey also said that 700 troops in Cyprus are ready to act if necessary, particularly to protect British citizens.

The Defence Secretary said: "I was out there this week with the 700 extra troops that we've got in Cyprus, land, air, sea, ready to act if necessary in the face of further developments in the Middle East, particularly to protect British citizens in Lebanon."

Israel increased bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon on Sunday.

It comes as Israel's army chief said "Hamas's military has been defeated" in an IDF statement - as the military force switches its focus to fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a statement: "A year has passed, and we have defeated the military wing of Hamas [...]. We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership."

On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer said that Brits must "stand with the Jewish community" as he reiterated calls for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon on the anniversary of the October 7 massacre in Israel.

Sir Keir described October 7 2023 as "the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust" and said that "collective grief has not diminished" in the year since.

"Over a thousand people were brutally murdered. Men, women, children and babies killed, mutilated, and tortured by the terrorists of Hamas. Jewish people murdered whilst protecting their families, young people massacred at a music festival, people abducted from their homes," the Prime Minister said.