A significant fire has broken out at a major oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, causing thick smoke to rise from the Aramco facility in Ras Tanura after a reported drone strike. This incident coincides with suspected Iranian attacks in the region, including explosions in Bahrain and Dubai, and sightings of smoke near the US embassy in Kuwait. A UK military base in Cyprus was also targeted by a suspected drone strike, as confirmed by a Ministry of Defence spokesperson.
Although there were no reported casualties, family members residing on the base are being relocated to a safer area on the island. Prior to the strike, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer disclosed that the US had been granted permission to conduct strikes on Iranian missile sites from British bases, emphasizing that the UK’s direct involvement in the strikes will not occur but that Gulf partners have requested increased defense support.
The conflict in the Middle East has entered its third day, with ongoing attacks by the US and Israel against Iran following the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Notably, an Iranian missile strike in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh resulted in the deaths of nine individuals. The Israeli military has also initiated strikes on the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah in Lebanon, leading to casualties in Beirut and southern Lebanon.
As British citizens in the Middle East face escalating tensions, the Foreign Office has launched an unprecedented operation to provide assistance. Iran’s retaliatory actions on military bases across the Gulf have forced the closure of major airports, including Dubai International Airport. Flight cancellations since the airport closures on Saturday have impacted over 20,000 travelers.
Sir Keir Starmer highlighted that around 200,000 British citizens, including residents and tourists, are currently in the Gulf region, with 94,000 individuals in Dubai already registering their presence through an online government platform established shortly after the airstrikes commenced on Saturday.
