UK will not join US Navy for reinforcement of 'Israel'
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Even though the UK's HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, is currently in the Red Sea off Yemen’s coast, and the HMS Lancaster is in the Arabian Sea, the UK does not intend to join the US in reinforcing "Israel".
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US Marines on watch stander duty monitor screens at the Land Force Operation Center Unit on the USS Bataan in the Aegean Sea, Greece, Friday, January 19, 2024. (AP)
According to British newspaper The Telegraph, the UK does not intend to join the US Navy in operations off the coast of "Israel", citing a navy source, even though the UK already has two ships deployed in the region.
The source states that the UK's HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, is currently in the Red Sea off Yemen’s coast, while the HMS Lancaster is in the Arabian Sea.
The UK's announcement additionally comes amid an awaited Iranian retaliatory response to "Israel's" airstrike on its consulate in Syria last week.
Read next: Red Sea rising: Exposing the West's diminishing naval power
US President Joe Biden said Friday he was expecting Iran's retaliation against an Israeli strike "sooner than later," warning Tehran not to launch an attack on the Israeli occupation entity.
The US President reiterated that Washington was "devoted to the defense of Israel, we will support Israel, we will help defend Israel," adding that "Iran will not succeed."
Biden stressed that his country's "commitment to Israel's security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad."
Read next: US CENTCOM chief arrives in 'Israel' amid fears of Iranian response
"Israel" and the United States have been coordinating "joint air and missile defense" operations in the region in anticipation of a prospective Iranian attack.
Reportedly, it has been circulated that it is not a matter of "if" Iran would respond, but rather when.
A senior Israeli official revealed that "Tel Aviv" has requested assistance from Washington to mitigate the Iranian response by conveying private and public cautionary messages to Tehran, as well as by demonstrating its presence in the region, according to Axios.
Read more: Iran to US: Involvement with 'Israel' will put your forces under fire
