00:01Britain is sending additional fighter jets to Qatar as tensions escalate across the Middle East.
00:11Prime Minister Keir Starmer says four Typhoon jets will join an existing UK
00:16squadron in the Gulf state to strengthen defence operations across the region.
00:23The announcement comes after a drone strike earlier this week on a Royal Air Force base
00:29in Cyprus.
00:30Starmer has justified the move, claiming that Iran's actions are targeting global energy
00:36infrastructure.
00:37Iran is targeting oil and gas facilities in the Gulf and tankers in the Straits of Hormuz,
00:44trying to inflict economic pain around the world.
00:48So we will continue to work with the industries affected and our allies to respond to any impact.
00:57Two Wildcat helicopters equipped with anti-drone capabilities are expected to arrive in Cyprus
01:03on Friday, while the British warship the HMS Dragon is due to deploy next week.
01:10Despite the military build up, the leader of the Labour Party insists the UK is pushing
01:15for calm, although he could not give a timescale as to how long the conflict in the Middle East
01:21will last.
01:23We are doing everything we can to de-escalate this.
01:27I can't give you a time base for this, I don't think anybody can.
01:31My strong view is that when you de-escalate, and ultimately this will have to be a matter
01:37of negotiation when it comes to some of the core issues like nuclear capability.
01:43Starmer initially refused to have any role in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, but later
01:49agreed to a U.S. request to use two British military bases for a quote, specific and limited
01:55defence purpose.
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