Royal Navy deploys second warship to the Middle East as ‘volatile’ tensions rise
IDF says they’ve captured a Hamas base
Britain is sending a second warship to the Gulf as tensions in the Middle East continue to mount.
Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond will join frigate HMS Lancaster, which is also in the region.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps explained: “It is critical that the UK bolsters our presence in the region to keep Britain and our interests safe from a more volatile and contested world.”
The Ministry of Defence says HMS Diamond will aim to ensure freedom of navigation, reassure merchant vessels and allow the safe flow of trade.
About 50 large merchant ships pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait every day, while twice that number pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the export of oil.
HMS Lancaster has been stationed in the Gulf since last year, alongside three Royal Navy minehunters.
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Britain sends second warship to the Middle East
Britain is sending a second warship to the Gulf as tensions in the Middle East continue to mount.
Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond will join frigate HMS Lancaster, which is also in the region.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps explained: “It is critical that the UK bolsters our presence in the region to keep Britain and our interests safe from a more volatile and contested world.”
The Ministry of Defence says HMS Diamond will aim to ensure freedom of navigation, reassure merchant vessels and allow the safe flow of trade.
About 50 large merchant ships pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait every day, while twice that number pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the export of oil.
HMS Lancaster has been stationed in the Gulf since last year, alongside three Royal Navy minehunters.
Hamas’ claim that family dead ‘may be psychological warfare’
Hamas claims that a mother and her two children have been killed in Gaza may be an example of “psychological warfare” by the terrorist organisation, the Israeli Defence Force has said.
Shiri Bibas, 32, 4-year-old Ariel and 10-month-old Kfir are thought to have been transferred by Hamas to smaller group in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Hamas issued a statement in which it said all three were killed in an Israeli strike during the war in the Strip, without providing any additional details.
However, the IDF cast doubt on the veracity of the claim, saing: “The Hamas terror organisation continues to act in a cruel and inhumane manner
“Hamas is endangering the hostages, including nine children. Hamas is required to immediately return them to Israel.
“There is no confirmation. We will continue to seek intelligence and other indications” in order to determine its veracity.
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