HMS Dragon has been forced to dock in the Mediterranean to undergo repairs during its deployment to Cyprus.
The Royal Navy Type-45 destroyer was despatched to the eastern Mediterranean to protect Britain’s airbases.
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.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed tonight tthat HMS Dragon is “undertaking a routine logistics stop and a short maintenance period in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
A spokesman told GB News the pause enabled “the ship to take onboard provisions, optimise systems, and conduct maintenance”.
“HMS Dragon will remain at a very high level of readiness during this period, able to sail at short notice if required,” the spokesman added.
“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.”
However, the scheduled docking came just days after the Ministry of Defence was forced to dismiss speculation that a warship had been struck by Hezbollah missiles.
Rumours 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.
However, a Ministry of Defence source subsequently confirmed the claims were not true.
The current location of HMS Dragon has not been disclosed for security reasons.
Defence sources told MailOnline that 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”, which had been planned in advance.
GB News understands it is routine to put a ship into short maintenance and replenishment period after several weeks at sea.
The reported issue has not impacted the ship’s operational capability and HMS Dragon’s weapons systems will also be further optimised during this period.
