The UK announces the deployment of additional air defense forces to the Gulf region.

Xinhua News Agency, London, March 31 (Reporter Zhao Jiasong) - The British government issued a statement on March 31, saying that as the situation in the Middle East continues to be tense, the UK will increase its air defense forces in the Gulf region, including extending the deployment of Typhoon fighter jets in Qatar and deploying the Sky Sword air defense system to Saudi Arabia.

According to the statement, UK Defense Secretary John Healey recently visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain, where he held talks with leaders and defense officials from the three countries on issues such as the Middle East conflict, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and UK security cooperation with Gulf countries.

The UK will deploy the Sky Sword air defense system to Saudi Arabia, with related equipment and personnel arriving this week, including radar, control nodes, and missile launchers. The UK also announced that a light multipurpose launch system has arrived in Bahrain; the ground-based air defense missile system "Rapid Sentinel" has arrived in Kuwait, and the UK Air Force's drone early warning detection system is now operational in that country.

The statement said that since the outbreak of hostilities with Iran, the British military has been carrying out defensive missions in the region to protect British citizens, military bases, and the interests of allies.

The statement also mentioned that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made it clear that the UK "does not wish to be drawn into a wider war."