The Royal Navy is sending one of its most advanced warships to the Gulf to protect international vessels from terror attacks.
HMS Diamond will seek to thwart Iranian attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important passages of water.
Her deployment comes days Iranian-backed Houthi rebels descended by helicopter and seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship.
While earlier this week Tehran released footage of one of its drones flying over the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier which was sailing in the Strait.
Both incidents were thought to be related to the Israel-Hamas conflict and raised fears of increased regional tensions.
Royal Navy warship HMS Diamond is being deployed to the Gulf in a show of force by the British Government
Footage filmed by Iran-backed rebels shows them approaching the Bahaman-flagged ‘Galaxy Leader’ ship in the southern Red Sea via helicopter
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps announced the deployment of HMS Diamond last night
Last night, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘Recent events have proven how critical the Middle East remains to global security and stability.
‘Following the onset of the renewed conflict in Israel and Gaza and the unlawful and brazen seizure of MV Galaxy Leader by Houthis in the Red Sea, it is critical the UK bolsters its presence, to keep Britain and our interests safe from a more volatile and contested world.
‘Today’s deployment will help to keep critical trade routes open and prove that our commitment to regional security not only endures but is enhanced.’
HMS Diamond, known as a jewel of the Royal Navy, is a Type 45 destroyer packed with cutting-edge military sensors, such as Sampson radar, and sophisticated weapons. Due to her sleek design she is also almost invisible on enemy radar.
Her Sea Viper anti-air missile system will protect commercial and military ships including the Royal Navy’s HMS Lancaster and three UK mine-hunting ships, HMS Bangor, HMS Chiddingfold and HMS Middleton already deployed there.
Portsmouth-based HMS Diamond has a crew of up to 200 sailors and is equipped with a Wildcat helicopter, which can be used by Royal Marine commandos to board hostile ships.
More than 150 commercial vessels carrying an estimated £6billion in goods pass through the strait every day, underlining its importance to the global economy.
HMS Diamond (pictured) is equipped with a host of cutting-edge weapons
These ships are vulnerable to attack due to the narrowness of the strait, just 30 miles in places. The strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Israel condemned the attack on the Galaxy Leader which was on route from Turkey to India when it was seized off Yemen.
Reports suggested it is owned by an Israeli billionaire. Her 25 crew of various nationalities were taken hostage.
Terrifying footage from the hijacking showed armed gunmen swooping in on the tanker by helicopter before storming the bridge and capturing the vessel.
The ship had been chartered by a Japanese group, and was flying the flag of the Bahamas at the time of the raid.
A photographer said the Galaxy Leader was anchored at the rebel-controlled Hodeida port in northwest Yemen and was closely guarded. It was now flying the Yemeni and Palestinian flags.
A helicopter approached the Galaxy Leader and dropped off several Houthi fighters
The rebels approached the bridge with weapons drawn
The cargo ship (pictured) travelled south past the Arabian peninsula on its way to India . It is registered under a British company which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar
The Houthis have declared themselves part of the ‘axis of resistance’ of Iran’s allies and proxies, and have also launched a series of drones and missiles towards Israel.
In a chilling threat following the raid, the Iran-backed terror group declared: ‘All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the seizure of the cargo ship an ‘Iranian act of terror’. While the Israeli military branded the hijacking a ‘very grave incident of global consequence’.
Earlier this month the Houthis shot down a US military drone off the coast of Yemen.
It followed a string of attacks by the rebels against American warships. Last week a US Navy vessel in the Red Sea shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched by the Yemen-based rebel group Red Sea.
Navy warship USS Thomas Hudner (pictured in 2021) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen while operating in the Red Sea
The drone attack follows a wave of drone and missile attacks against US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria , launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that there was no injury sustained by the crew nor damage to the ship
The drones were destroyed by USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer on Wednesday morning.
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that there was no injury sustained by the crew nor damage to the ship.
The attack followed a similar incident last month which saw US Navy destroyer USS Carney blasting down an Iranian-made Houthi drone.
There was no damage to the Carney or any injuries to the American crew on board. The warship had been sailing near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the time of the attack.