The UK is considering sending warship HMS Duncan to the Middle East, it is understood.

Based at Portsmouth Naval Base, it is one of the most advanced warships in the world.

Last year it hit the headlines when it tracked the Russian navy vessel Vice Admiral Kulakov through the English Channel.

It comes after a drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus shortly after midnight on Monday, causing minor material damage to an aircraft hangar. Another two drones were intercepted by British warplanes around midday on Monday after they were scrambled from the air base.

Senior Cypriot officials say the attack was carried out by an Iranian Shahed drone, most likely fired by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon, although the source of the strike remains unconfirmed.

The defence secretary John Healey has described the drone as an example of the “dangerous and indiscriminate attacks” by Iran and its proxies.

Britain said on Sunday that it had accepted a US request to use its military bases for “defensive” strikes against Iran, a day after the launch of a US and Israeli military campaign against Iran, which triggered Iranian retaliation. Sir Keir Starmer later said the UK’s bases on Cyprus were not being used by US bombers.

France plans to send air defence systems to Cyprus and could dispatch a frigate as well as anti-missile and anti-drone systems to the country, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency has reported.

On Monday Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister, asked the PM to deploy HMS Duncan.

He said: “In the last few hours we know of over 500 rockets that have struck the United Arab Emirates, and no doubt many have struck bases around the area. Will he be deploying HMS Dauntless and HMS Duncan out to the Gulf right now, they’re both at a state of readiness, and I’m sure the defence secretary could give that order this afternoon?”

Sir Keir Starmer replied that he could not go into “operational matters” in public.

This is a breaking story, more to follow…