UK Sends Missiles to Ukraine, Welcomes Refugees

Ukrainian soldiers training with NLAW military materiel during a drill in western Ukraine (EPA)
Ukrainian soldiers training with NLAW military materiel during a drill in western Ukraine (EPA)
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UK Sends Missiles to Ukraine, Welcomes Refugees

Ukrainian soldiers training with NLAW military materiel during a drill in western Ukraine (EPA)
Ukrainian soldiers training with NLAW military materiel during a drill in western Ukraine (EPA)

A British official said he was satisfied with the weapons his country was sending to help the Ukrainian army against the Russian offensive.

The official did not elaborate, but it was evident that he was pleased with the weapons seeing a video footage from Ukraine showing the British missile launchers destroying large numbers of Russian tanks and armored vehicles.

Britain, along with the US, was one of the first countries to provide Ukraine with advanced "lethal" weapons described as "defensive" - weeks before the Russian military operation on February 24.

The first batch of British aid, on January 17, included at least 2,000 Next Generation Light Antitank Weapons (NLAW), in addition to weapons, ammunition, armor, helmets, military boots, food, and communications and positioning equipment.

On March 9, the Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace, revealed that his country intends to supply military aid to the Ukrainian armed forces.

"In response to further acts of aggression by Russia, we have now increased that supply. I can update the House that, as of today, we have delivered 3,615 NLAWs and continue to deliver more," Wallace told the House of Commons.

He indicated that the government would shortly start the delivery of a small consignment of anti-tank Javelin missiles.

"I want to assure the House that everything we do is bound by the decision to supply defensive systems and is calibrated not to escalate to a strategic level."

The government has decided to explore the donation of Starstreak high-velocity, man-portable anti-air missiles.

"We believe that this system will remain within the definition of defensive weapons but will allow the Ukrainian forces to better defend their skies," said the minister.

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said that the Russian missile strikes on a Ukrainian base near the Polish border are deeply concerning but will not deter Britain from continuing to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons.

The announcement came after Russian missile strikes targeted a major Ukrainian base near the border with Poland that British soldiers used last year to train Ukrainian soldiers to use anti-tank missiles.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office told Asharq Al-Awsat that the United Kingdom was the leading European country supporting Ukraine's sovereignty.

He recalled that since 2015, British forces had trained more than 22,000 members of the Ukrainian armed forces, and the government approved a £1.7 billion loan to develop Ukraine's maritime capabilities.

He noted that the European Union and many other countries have begun sending defensive weapons to Ukraine.

The spokesman clarified that the UK remains a solid supporter of Ukraine's request for NATO membership per the NATO Bucharest Summit Declaration in 2008.

At the Bucharest Summit, NATO Allies welcomed Ukraine's and Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership and agreed that these countries would become members of NATO.

The spokesman noted that Ukraine has the right to choose its alliances, its future, and Russia, according to its repeated agreements, has no right to dictate that choice on the Ukrainians.

The British support for Ukraine also extends to other non-military areas.

The British government launched the most comprehensive campaign against the wealthy Russians accused of having ties to President Vladimir Putin.

The government froze their assets, estimated at billions of dollars. It also imposed sanctions on a wide range of Russian companies and senior officials, including 386 members of the State Duma who voted to recognize the independence of Lugansk and Donetsk.

Britain also provided financial support to the Ukrainian government to help it deal with the repercussions of the Russian attack.

It launched a campaign to encourage its citizens to host Ukrainian families fleeing their country.

The new scheme called "Homes for Ukraine" will let refugees from the war come to Britain even if they do not have family ties, the government said on Sunday.

Britain will pay people 350 pounds ($456) a month if they can offer refugees a spare room or property for a minimum period of six months.

The government will also support municipalities to provide free education, health care, and assistance to those entitled to residing and working in Britain for three years before applying to settle their situation and stay in this country.

The government says there is no limit for the Ukrainian refugees, but tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees could come to the UK.

However, Ukraine's neighboring countries currently host at least 2.7 million displaced persons amid expectations that more of them will arrive as the Russian offensive heats up.



Iran, US Race to Find Crew Member of Crashed American Fighter Jet

A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026.  US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
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Iran, US Race to Find Crew Member of Crashed American Fighter Jet

A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026.  US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS

Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a crew member from the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.

Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane and US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other was still missing.

Iran's military also said it downed a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, with US media saying the pilot of that plane was rescued, reported AFP.

The war erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide.

US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the loss of the F-15, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The president has been briefed."

President Donald Trump told NBC the F-15 loss would not affect negotiations with Iran, saying: "No, not at all. No, it's war."

On Saturday, there were fresh strikes on Israel, Lebanon and Iran, as well as on Gulf states.

An AFP journalist saw a thick haze of grey smoke covering Tehran's skyline after hearing several blasts over the capital. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted.

- 'Valuable reward' -

A spokesperson for the Iranian military's central operational command earlier said "an American hostile fighter jet in central Iranian airspace was struck and destroyed by the IRGC Aerospace Force's advanced air defense system".

"The jet was completely obliterated, and further searches are ongoing."

An Iranian television reporter on a local official channel said anyone who captured a crew member alive would "receive a valuable reward".

Retired US brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who has 400 hours of combat flight experience, said a pilot's training would likely kick in before he or she parachutes to the ground.

"My priority would be, first of all, concealment, because I don't want to be captured," he told AFP.

Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, mocked the Trump administration.

He wrote on X: "After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from 'regime change' to 'Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?'

"Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses."


Explosion Hits Pro-Israel Center in the Netherlands

Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Explosion Hits Pro-Israel Center in the Netherlands

Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)

A blast hit a pro-Israeli center in the Netherlands, police said Saturday, adding it caused minimal damage and no injuries.

A police spokeswoman told AFP no one was inside the site run by Christians for Israel, a non-profit, in the central city of Nijkerk when the explosion went off outside its gate late on Friday.

An investigation was ongoing.

The incident comes after a string of similar night-time attacks on Jewish sites in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium in recent weeks that has heightened concerns in the wake of the war in the Middle East.


Iran Says Strike Hit Close to Its Bushehr Nuclear Facility, Killing a Guard and Damaging a Building

Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
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Iran Says Strike Hit Close to Its Bushehr Nuclear Facility, Killing a Guard and Damaging a Building

Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)

Iran’s atomic agency says an airstrike has hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. It is the fourth time the facility has been targeted during the war.

The agency announced Saturday’s attack on social media.

The US AP’s military pressed ahead Saturday in a frantic search for a missing pilot after Iran shot down an American warplane, as Iran called on people to turn the pilot in, promising a reward.

The plane, identified by Iran as a US F-15E Strike Eagle, was one of two attacked on Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing. It was the first time the United States lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the war, now in its sixth week, and could mark a new turning point in the campaign.

The conflict, launched by the US and Israel on Feb. 28, has rippled across the region. It has so far killed thousands, upended global markets, cut off key shipping routes, spiked fuel prices and shows no signs of slowing as Iran responds to US and Israeli airstrikes with attacks across the region.