He also said he'd had the option of deploying HMS Dragon to the Mediterranean for weeks.

Interviewed at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, the minister was asked by Sky's Europe correspondent Ali Bunkall if he could rule out Britain joining the conflict in an offensive capacity.

He responded: "As circumstances in any conflict change, you've got to be willing to adapt the action you take."

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Mr Healey then listed defensive measures that were being taken, including the use of anti-drone helicopters, deploying HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean, and bringing in planners to co-ordinate an international response.

Pressed on whether he would rule out British aircraft taking part in offensive operations over Iran, Mr Healey again demurred.

"Everything that we have done is defensive, is legal, and is coordinated with other allies," he said.

The minister's visit to the island comes after a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri on Monday, with two more UAVs intercepted en-route to the base later that day.

During his visit, Mr Healey met with his Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas "to discuss how the UK is further reinforcing our air defences to support our shared security", a government spokesman said.

Iran has been unleashing rocket and drone attacks across the Middle East after the US and Israel launched a joint-attack on the country on Saturday.

In the aftermath of Monday's drone attack, the decision was made to deploy HMS Dragon, an air-defence warship, to the Mediterranean.

But Sky News revealed on Wednesday that the ship was not ready to depart and would not sail until next week.

Asked when the option of deploying HMS Dragon first crossed his desk, Mr Healey deflected.

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He said it was one of the options he'd had available when he made decisions weeks before the start of the conflict to strengthen British defences in the region.

He added that the decision to deploy the warship had been taken because the government was "now in a position to judge better the nature of the Iranian response".

Donald Trump put out a social media post announcing she was being replaced by a senator from Oklahoma.

He said Ms Noem would be moving to a new job, special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, in about three weeks.

Posting on Truth Social, his own social media network, Mr Trump praised her "numerous and spectacular results" in the role.

But a White House official struck a very different tone when they spoke about her dismissal to NBC News, Sky's US partner network.

They said her sacking was "a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures".

Ms Noem becomes the first cabinet secretary to leave during the president's second term.

She came under scrutiny after calling the actions of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota an "act of domestic terrorism" after she was shot dead by ICE agents.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents two weeks later.

At hearings in Congress this week, Ms Noem faced stinging criticism from fellow Republicans - particularly over a £165m ($220m) ad campaign she appeared in that encouraged people in the US illegally to leave voluntarily.

She insisted that Mr Trump was aware of the campaign in advance, but he contradicted her in an interview, saying he did not sign off on it.

She faced further criticism over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as over the White House's response to disasters.

Speaking to NBC News, a White House official named these among her failures, as well as "allegations of infidelity".

Congressional hearings this week touched on these allegations when Ms Noem was asked if she had had "sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski" - Mr Trump's former campaign manager.

She dismissed the question as "tabloid garbage".

The White House official added: "Kristi's drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration's extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force."

In his social media post, Mr Trump wrote: "I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026.

"The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida.

"I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland.'"

Ms Noem addressed a Department of Homeland Security event moments after Mr Trump's announcement but didn't mention her change of role.

She spoke for more than 20 minutes, but read prepared remarks reinforcing the president's message from the State of the Union last month.

Mr Mullin has to be confirmed in his post by the Senate, but he can serve as acting secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.

In a post on X, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was grateful to Ms Noem "for helping usher in the most secure border in American history".

She added: "President Trump's immigration agenda is keeping our borders secure and deporting illegal alien criminals from our country, and it will continue without interruption."

Hakeem Jeffries, who leads the rival Democratic party in the House of Representatives, branded Ms Noem a "deeply unqualified, unhinged, out-of-control, pathological liar who repeatedly abused her power".

He continued: "She was a complete and total disaster. We made clear weeks ago that Kristi Noem must be fired or she would face impeachment. Her well-deserved termination is long overdue, consistent with what we have demanded."

There has been an internet blackout since the start of the war on 28 February. Satellite imagery has become one of the few ways to find out what is happening on the ground.

Zoom in to explore strike locations in satellite maps

Missile bases

The US and Israel are targeting Iran's missile bases to reduce the regime's ability to launch ballistic missiles.

A base in the northwest of Isfahan, located near the 'Ahmad Kazemi barracks', named after IRGC general Ahmad Kazemi, was targeted.

Images from 1 March show initial damage to a building at the site and then on 3 March show the same building flattened.

The building on the left-hand side was previously targeted in June by Israel and has been targeted again.

It's one of several missile bases that have been targeted. Another close to Kermanshah in northwest Iran was also hit.

It's one of Iran's extensive underground "missile cities", which are deep tunnel complexes built into mountains to house and shield large parts of the country's missile arsenal from detection and attack.

In imagery from 4 March provided by Planet Labs, Sky News has identified at least 10 buildings that have been destroyed. Alongside the buildings, there are craters left from strikes at the front of tunnel entrances. This tactic may be being used to collapse the tunnels.

Iran's missile capabilities are a threat to the US and Israel. They produce multiple different missile types. The longest-range missile, the Sajjil, has a maximum range of up to 2,000km (1,242 miles). That's far enough to hit Moscow or Athens - making any missile base a key target.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on 4 March that the number of Iran's missile launches has dropped 86% in four days.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said that hundreds of air defence sites, ballistic missiles and drones had been destroyed by US strikes.

Naval ports

Ports have also been targeted by the US and Israel. They are being targeted as this is where Iran's navy operates from, launching missiles and attacks.

Imagery from satellite provider Vantor and European Space Imaging show Konarak naval port in southern Iran was badly damaged.

Satellite images from 4 March show two destroyed buildings at the port and a sunken Iranian ship.

The head of US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, claimed that 17 Iranian vessels, including its "most operational" submarine, have been destroyed.

The naval base is significant because it sits very close to the Strait of Hormuz, a key commercial shipping route being controlled by Iran. The base is used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and is said to launch patrols and exercises in the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean, staging missile and naval training operations.

Konarak also supports the port of Chabahar, one of Iran's only deep-water ports with direct access to the Indian Ocean.

Another port targeted was the military harbour at Bandar Abbas, which is the main headquarters of the Iranian navy, and provides access to the Strait of Hormuz.

The imagery shows the Iranian vessel, IRIS Makran, with a plume of smoke after a strike on 2 March.

Although unclear how much damage the vessel sustained, the ship is Iran's largest naval vessel and serves as a floating base. If out of operation, this will be a blow to the naval capabilities of the regime.

In more recent imagery from 4 March, it appears a building can be seen with major damage to the roof.

Nuclear facilities

Nuclear facilities have been targeted as the West believes Iran is building a nuclear weapon.

One of the locations targeted was Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant in western Iran.

Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant is Iran's primary uranium-enrichment plant that is known to be operating after US and Israeli strikes in June 2025. According to Rafael Grossi, of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the centrifuges were "severely damaged if not destroyed altogether after this strike".

Additional strikes appear to have taken place on 2 March.

Imagery from 3 March shows three buildings destroyed at the site.

The IAEA confirmed damage to the entrance on the site on 3 March.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) confirmed the buildings were damaged at personnel and vehicle entrances.

The dispute over Iran's nuclear programme is ongoing. The regime in Tehran has long insisted it has no intention of making a nuclear weapon.

Civilian infrastructure

Civilian infrastructure has been hit in the airstrikes. Some of the sites are near Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facilities, including police stations.

Iranian officials said more than 150 people were killed when a girls' school was hit in the city of Minab on 28 February.

The school was located near an IRGC base.

Imagery from 4 March appears to show six locations where missiles or shrapnel likely fell on the school.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in an interview that "the United States would not deliberately target a school. Our objectives are missiles".

Israel also said it had not found any connection to their operations.

More satellite imagery shows Gandhi Hospital in Tehran.

Images from 1 March and 4 March show a television tower directly next to the hospital in ruins. Videos verified by Sky News show it wasn't just the television tower affected; the hospital was also hit.

The Data x Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

Police said officers were called to Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology (NUAST) in Dunkirk Road at around 1.30pm on Thursday.

The 15-year-old was taken to Queen's Medical Centre with serious injuries.

Another 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene. It is understood the two teenagers are known to each other.

Nottinghamshire Police Superintendent Chris Pearson said: "This is obviously an unsettling incident to occur on school grounds, and we are working closely with NUAST."

He said there is nothing to suggest the incident is linked to "the national 'School Wars' social posts", a viral social media trend which encourages pupils from different schools to attack each other.

The injured boy's family "will be supported by specially trained officers", the superintendent said, adding the incident "is likely to cause alarm and distress" locally, "especially for parents and pupils in the area".

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The Kurds were instrumental in stopping Islamic State (IS) fighters from spreading into much of northeastern Syria and Iraq.

Could they be called again to help the West? It's a thought that's being widely talked about.

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For their part, the Iranian-Kurdish militia living in neighbouring Iraq are literally chomping at the bit to cross the border and join a popular uprising against the Iranian regime.

I know this because they've told me.

In recent days, like the American bases, the bases of Kurdish armed groups have been struck by rockets and drones from Iran as well.

For safety, they spend as much time as possible off base as they prepare for war, which is why I met a senior political figure in the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, in a deserted building, in a town nestling below mountains that lead to Iran.

Karim Parwizi will command one of the armed elements preparing to cross the border.

He told me they have been planning to take up arms against Iran for years, but believe that now is the time to join the American-Israeli war.

"For many years, for decades, this regime has attacked us, killed our people, and carried out acts of genocide against us," he said.

"Now that the regime is becoming weaker and weaker, we see this as an opportunity to finally move toward achieving our freedom."

Iran has threatened to bomb Kurdish towns and cities over the border if they get involved.

I asked Parwizi if they're worried about those threats.

"The regime does not need an excuse to attack us," he replied. "For the past 47 years, they have targeted us regardless."

He added: "Even though this is described as a conflict between the United States and Iran, we have been attacked repeatedly whether we are involved or not.

"We have lived under constant threat. So no, they do not need any justification to attack us, they have been doing it for decades."

How much military cooperation remains, or has even increased, between the Americans and Kurds since the war against Islamic State is the subject of some conjecture.

Officially at least, neither American nor Kurdish political leaders have indicated it has changed one way or another.

Strategic American bases and runways lie in Iraqi Kurdistan, so the US military presence here is a constant.

'This time is different'

Zanyar, a member of the Peshmerga - as Kurdish fighters are called - told me he and others want to follow the encouragement of US President Donald Trump to Iranian civilians to rise up against the government and its security forces.

I met him in a safe house for families of the fighters actively preparing for battle.

Zanyar's wife and infant were killed in an Iranian missile strike here four years ago - remember Iran has been attacking the Kurds on and off for years.

Crossing the border to fight the regime and its forces is now personal for him, and he, like so many others, says now is the time.

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"It's true that in the past there were moments when people tried to rise up, but the efforts were not coordinated, but this time is different," Zanyar told me.

"You have people inside Iran who are openly dissatisfied with the regime, you have opposition groups that are more united and determined to remove it, and importantly, much of the international community now agrees that this regime must go.

"That coordination makes this moment different, and it gives us hope that this could be a real opportunity for change."

Would a Kurdish ground incursion kickstart a nationwide uprising in Iran - or herald the start of ethnic sectarian chaos instead?

Like so much in this war, nobody is sure of the endgame.