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UK warship HMS Dragon departed for the Eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday, more than a week after UK\u2019s air base in \u200bCyprus was attacked by a drone in the aftermath of \u200cthe US and Israel launching attacks against Iran.<\/strong><\/p>\n UK\u2019s government has been criticised for not being able to send a warship to the region sooner, \u200bwith military vessels from allies Greece and France\u00a0arriving within days \u200bof Iran launching retaliatory attacks across the Gulf.<\/p>\n On March \u20601 RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian-made drone, \u200bthought to have been launched from Lebanon or Iraq.<\/p>\n The decision to \u200bdeploy the destroyer was made a week ago but it has taken days to prepare it for the journey, adding to scrutiny of Britain\u2019s military readiness.<\/p>\n The government \u200bhas defended its response, saying it had pre-deployed other assets to \u200bthe region including radar systems, air defence, and F-35 jets.<\/p>\n HMS Dragon is a Type \u200c45 \u2060air-defence destroyer equipped with the Sea Viper missile system and advanced radar designed to track and neutralise airborne threats, according to the Royal Navy\u2019s website.<\/p>\n The government has also cited its close cooperation with \u200bthe United States in \u200bpreparation and \u2060in response to the conflict, despite criticism from Trump over Britain\u2019s support.<\/p>\n Trump has lambasted Prime Minister Keir \u200bStarmer for limiting Britain\u2019s military support for the \u200bstrikes on \u2060Iran, plunging the relationship between the historically close military allies into crisis.<\/p>\n Starmer has allowed the U.S. to use British bases for defensive action \u2060but \u200bhas said that he would not approve \u200bUK involvement in offensive actions unless he was sure they were legal and were \u200bpart of a clear plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n