The Ministry of Defence has released footage of a Royal Air Force jet shooting down an Iranian drone in the wake of Donald Trump‘s lambasting of Keir Starmer.
A video posted to social media on Tuesday evening showed a missile being obliterated by jets in Jordan as the RAF continues its mission to ‘defend Brits in the Middle East’.
The MoD said the shooting marked the first time an RAF F-35 plane has shot down a target during the conflict with Iran, with Typhoon jets supporting the operation in the skies.
The Prime Minister will only allow British bases abroad to be used for the ‘specific and limited defensive purpose’ of targeting Iranian missiles – a decision President Trump blasted this evening.
Speaking at the White House, Trump declared that he was ‘not happy’ with Starmer for his lack of support and accused the Labour leader of being ‘very, very uncooperative’.
The US and Israel triggered the conflict on Saturday when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed following strikes on Tehran.
Trump said at a press conference tonight: ‘This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with.’
The US President went on to criticise the UK’s approach to the ‘stupid island’ as he issued a fresh blast at Sir Keir’s bid to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The Ministry of Defence has released footage of a Royal Air Force jet shooting down an Iranian drone in the wake of Donald Trump’s lambasting of Keir Starmer (pictured leaving 10 Downing Street on Monday)
The President accused the British PM of being ‘very, very uncooperative’ after he refused to let the US attack from British military bases
‘This is not the age of Churchill. I will say the UK has been very, very uncooperative with that stupid island that they have, that they gave away and took a 100-year lease,’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as he sat alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
‘Having to do with, perhaps, indigenous people claiming the island that never even saw the island before. What’s that all about? They ruin relationships, it’s a shame.’
It came less than 24 hours after Starmer was humiliated into action by the French, as he ordered a Royal Navy warship to set sail for Cyprus to defend a UK airbase from air attacks.
Cyprus has been targeted by Iran in recent days, with the British RAF Akrotiri Base in Liamassol hit by a drone on Sunday.
The PM sent the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon to the Mediterranean island on Tuesday along with helicopters with anti-drone weaponry – though the ship will take a week to complete the journey.
The Prime Minister made the announcement this afternoon as he came under fire for leaving the task of defending the base to France and Greece, while the Navy’s best anti-aircraft vessels remained in Portsmouth.
France’s Emmanuel Macron earlier told the president he was dispatching two frigates to Cyprus following a request for aid.
They will supplement forces already in the region and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier strike group, which has been ordered to deploy to the area from the Baltic Sea.
Greece has also said it will send two frigates and fighter jets to defend the island, meaning it will have more naval assets in the area than UK.
In a statement posted on social media site X, Sir Keir said: ‘The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there.
‘We’re continuing our defensive operations and I’ve just spoken with the President of Cyprus to let him know that we are sending helicopters with counter drone capabilities and HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the region.
It comes after the PM made the decision to send Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus to protect a British base
Emmanuel Macron ordered units to the eastern Mediterranean island after RAF Akrotiri was struck by a drone which pierced its air defences on Sunday
‘We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies.’
Spain was another nation which came under fire from Trump, as the President claimed the Latin nation has been ‘terrible’ since the beginning of the conflict.
Madrid previously denied the US permission to use jointly operated military bases on its territory on Iran, with Spain’s socialist PM Pedro Sanchez having condemned ‘an unjustified, dangerous military intervention outside of international law’.
Trump said the US was ‘cutting off all trade’ with Madrid, adding: ‘We don’t want anything to do with Spain.’
But he praised Germany and France, saying their contributions to the war effort so far have been ‘great, terrific’.
The conflict in the Middle East entered its fourth day on Tuesday, with Iranian missiles continuing to rain down on nations such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The US Consulate building in Dubai was this evening struck by a suicide missile, though no one was hurt.
Videos posted to social media showed a huge plume of smoke rising from the building, situated just a short walk from the city’s British embassy.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the drone is understood to have struck a car park adjacent to the consulate building.
‘As I came in, I also saw the media reports about Dubai’s consulate,’ he told reporters at a press conference. ‘The last update I had was that a drone unfortunately struck a parking lot adjacent to the to the Chancery building, and then set off a fire in that place.
The US Consulate building in Dubai was up in flames after reportedly being struck by an Iranian drone on Tuesday
Local emergency services managed to extinguish the fire a short time later and no one was hurt (Pictured: The scene outside the Consulate building this evening)
‘All personnel are accounted for. As you’re aware, we began drawing down personnel from our diplomatic facilities in advance of this.
It came after Sirens were sounded in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai following reports of loud bangs.
Authorities said the explosions reverberating across Dubai were caused by ‘interception operations’ put in place by air defence forces.
‘The relevant Dubai teams continue to closely monitor the situation and are taking all necessary measures to ensure public safety,’ the Dubai Media Office said.
A host of nations in the Gulf region have been targeted by Iran since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and locations in Cyprus have all been struck by missiles, with thousands of Brits still trapped in the region.
