A Royal Air Force typhoon has shot down an Iranian drone which was thought to be headed to Qatar.
The device is thought to be the first taken down by a British fighter jet since the US and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday, prompting furious retaliation from Tehran.
The RAF jet shot down the Iranian drone to ensure the ‘security of Qatar’s airspace and British interests in the region’.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘On 1 March, 2026, a Royal Air Force Typhoon operating from Qatar as part of the joint UK-Qatar Typhoon Squadron, successfully took out an Iranian drone heading towards Qatari territory.
‘The Typhoon jet was conducting a defensive air patrol and used an air-to-air missile to shoot down the drone, ensuring the security of Qatar’s airspace and British interests in the region.
‘Our Armed Forces are playing a vital role to protect our people, our interests and our Allies.’
On Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said British jets were ‘in the sky today’ to help defend allies in the region as Iran seeks revenge for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The UK did not participate in the strikes against Iran but F-35B fighter jets have been taking part in defensive operations from Qatar and Cyprus.
A Royal Air Force typhoon has shot down an Iranian drone which was headed to Qatar
The device is thought to be the first taken down by a British fighter jet since the US and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday, prompting furious retaliation from the regime. (Pictured: Tehran following attacks on Sunday)
Missiles have pounded Doha, Qatar’s capital, since Saturday. Qatar’s defence ministry said it ‘successfully countered a number of attacks targeting the country’s territory’
Earlier today Defence Secretary John Healey repeatedly dodged questions on whether Britain supports Mr Trump’s decision to launch military strikes against Iran.
He refused six times in a TV interview to say if the UK backed the US and Israeli action – or if the Government considered the action to be legal.
In a statement, the so-called ‘E3’ leaders condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Gulf states following the US and Israeli attacks.
But the Prime Minister, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz pointedly noted how they ‘did not participate’ in the US-led ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
They also called for the Iranian regime ‘to seek a negotiated solution’.
On Sunday morning, Mr Healey declined to give a direct answer on whether Britain backed the US and Israeli action.
This is despite Mr Trump’s assault on Tehran having being endorsed by other ‘Five Eyes’ allies, such as Australia and Canada.
The Defence Secretary instead only pointed to how Britain ‘played no part’ in the strikes on Iran and said it was up to America to ‘set out the legal basis of the action that it took’.
Mr Healey also dodged on whether the UK had refused the US permission to use British military bases, such as Diego Garcia, to strike Iran.
But he said ‘few people would mourn’ Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his death in the US-Israeli strikes.
Thick black smoke billows from the Jebel Ali port in Dubai after it was struck by falling debris
The aftermath of an Iranian rocket hitting Beit Shemesh in Israel, where nine people were killed
Smoke billows from the Abu Dhabi port, where there is a French naval base
Iran has furiously retaliated, launching repeated strikes across the Middle East. Pictured: Columns of smoke could be seen rising from the Crowne Plaza hotel in the Bahrain city of Manama after it was hit by missiles
He also said Britain shared the ‘primary aim’ that Iran ‘should never have a nuclear weapon’.
Meanwhile, the government is planning to evacuate at least 94,000 Brits currently stuck in the Middle East as air spaces remain closed amid Iran’s suicide drone blitz.
In an unprecedented operation, the UK is hoping to support hundreds of thousands of British nationals in the Gulf as Iranian strikes rain down in the region, killing at least three civilians in Dubai.
The evacuation plan follows US and Israeli strikes on Iran early Saturday in what the two countries described as a ‘pre-emptive’ attack aimed at halting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran retaliated with missile attacks across the region, with Israel and Gulf states among the reported targets.
British expats are now being urged to register their presence in the region with the Foreign Office online, with a record 94,000 signing on to the service already – mostly in the UAE.
Those in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE are all encouraged to notify the Foreign Office online, which in the meantime has advised all British nationals to stay where they are, follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor the Foreign Office’s travel advice, which officials expect to change rapidly.
Nearly 6,000 flights have been cancelled worldwide and almost 30,000 delayed as the Middle Eastern conflict enters its second day. Iranian strikes have hit Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, and air spaces are expected to remain locked down until at least Monday.
The UK Government is now advising against all but essential travel to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, and warning against all travel to Iran.
The scale of the evacuation operation is unprecedented, with the ‘register your presence’ scheme never seeing so much use after previously being employed to provide urgent updates to people affected by international crises.
Plumes of smoke rise into the air in Tehran following missile strikes from the US and Israel
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday
Earlier today Defence Secretary John Healey repeatedly dodged questions on whether Britain supports Mr Trump’s decision to launch military strikes against Iran
The US and Israel plan to continue bombing sites in central Tehran following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader in an airstrike on Saturday morning.
Iran in turn has vowed to retaliate with ‘devastating blows’ and has fired missiles at many of its neighbouring countries as well as US military targets.
The remnants of the Iranian regime are launching widespread airstrikes targeting US allies, military bases and areas popular with Western expats – and three American troops have been confirmed dead.
The Iranian regime vowed to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’, with ‘force’ its enemies ‘have never experienced before’.
At least two drones have hit Dubai’s airport, the world-famous Burj Al Arab and Palm Jumeirah hotels were hit yesterday, and further explosions echoed across the Emirates today.
In the Bahrain city of Manama, the Crowne Plaza hotel was damaged by a suicide drone, and Iranian missiles have also been hitting Tel Aviv – with at least ten people confirmed to have been killed in Israel. There has also been a death in Kuwait.
