Reports of Royal Navy vessel struck in Mediterranean are fake, MoD source says
The Ministry of Defence source has said the claims that the vessel was struck by Lebanese militants were not true.
Reports that a British warship in the Mediterranean have been struck by Hezbollah missiles are not true, according to defence sources.
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Rumour spread on social media on Sunday afternoon that a Royal Navy ship had sustained damage after being struck by the Lebanese militant group, with claims they had mistaken it for an Israeli vessel.
But a Ministry of Defence (MoD) source said the claims were not true.
HMS Dragon, a Royal Navy type-45 destroyer, has been despatched to the eastern Mediterranean to protect Britain’s airbases on Cyprus.
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It is among a number of British military assets in the region, which are defending UK bases and allied nations from Iranian-made drones and other weapons.
Britain’s RAF Regiment gunners have continued to shoot down Iranian drones as they defend British airbases, according to the MoD.
UK Typhoons and F-35 jets, supported by Voyager and Royal Navy Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, have meanwhile continued defensive missions over the eastern Mediterranean, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.