HMS Dragon forced to dock in Med as Royal Navy's only warship deployed in Iran war suffers 'technical fault'

The Royal Navy type-45 destroyer has been despatched to the eastern Mediterranean to protect Britain’s airbases on Cyprus.

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.

Now, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed to GB News the vessel is "undertaking a routine logistics stop and a short maintenance period in the Eastern Mediterranean."

The spokesman told the People's Channel the pause enabled "the ship to take onboard provisions, optimise systems, and conduct maintenance."

They said: "HMS Dragon will remain at a very high level of readiness during this period, able to sail at short notice if required.

"The UK continues to maintain a robust and layered defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, working in coordination with allies. This includes Typhoon and F-35 jets, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, and advanced counter-drone and air defence systems."

Over the weekend, rumours that a warship was struck by Hezbollah missiles were dismissed by the MoD.

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 an MoD source confirmed the claims were not true.

The current location of HMS Dragon has not been disclosed for security reasons.

Defence sources told MailOnline the crew on board HMS Dragon have had access to water and catering during the current stop.

They added a logistics stop at "approximately this point in her deployment" had been planned in advance.

More to follow...