British Forces Shoot Down Iranian Drones in Iraq

0:00On March 12, British forces in Iraq shot down two Iranian drones overnight during an attack on a coalition base in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region. Some of those drones struck the base, injuring several U.S. troops, but no British personnel were hurt. Base is in Erbil and Baghdad to multiple hits that Wednesday night, and British troops are now assisting with defenses at Erbil, which is mainly run by the U.S. but host other allies. This comes amid Iranian retaliation against U.S. and Israeli strikes. Defense Secretary John Healey highlighted Britain's role in countering these threats since Iran ramped up attacks across the Middle East. During a briefing at the U.K. military headquarters in Northwood, officials noted clear ties between Iranian drone tactics and Russia's methods in. Ukraine, suggesting Moscow's influence. Meanwhile, U.K. forces flew air combat patrols over Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. While RAF jets supported defenses around Cyprus, they've logged more than 300 pilot hours

1:01in the past 13 days, and the warship HMS Dragon is on route to the Mediterranean. Reports are emerging about possible Iranian mining in the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.K. has some detection tools ready, though the main minehunter. Ship is temporarily back home for maintenance. Things remain high, as allies monitor the situation closely.