The head of the British military has told the BBC he “completely rejects” criticism that the UK had been ill-prepared for the conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking on Saturday as war continued in the region, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton said it was “probably the most dangerous time of the last 30 years”.

Some have questioned the UK’s response, in particular around the sending of a Royal Navy ship to Cyprus to protect the UK military base, RAF Akrotiri, which was targeted by a drone.

Sir Richard said the UK had been “bolstering our presence” in the region for several weeks but did not give a timeline for the arrival of HMS Dragon, which remains in Portsmouth.

He said the Type 45 destroyer would leave “in the next few days, as soon as it’s got ammunition on board” but did not say how long it would take to arrive in the Mediterranean.

The ship had been undergoing maintenance on the south coast. France and Greece have already deployed assets towards Cyprus.

Sir Richard said the drone targeting the RAF base was assessed to have launched from Lebanon by an Iranian-aligned group.

He disagreed with claims the UK’s action had started too late and said his priority was to protect British people and interests, echoing the words of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier in the week.

Sir Richard said it became clear early on “that Iran’s response was going to be much broader, wild and indiscriminate, and rather reckless compared to what we saw in the 12-day war last summer”.

He added that in the days since the latest conflict started, the UK assessed its options to increase its presence and ability to defend allies and its own interests.

Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of “sitting on the fence” over the UK’s response to the Middle East conflict.

Speaking on Saturday at the Conservative Party’s Spring Conference in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Badenoch said that “at a time when Britain needs strong and decisive leadership, we have a prime minister who is too afraid of making the wrong decision, too afraid to make any decision at all”.

“We are in this war, whether Keir Starmer likes it or not,” she added.

Badenoch said Britain has been described as “weak” and that our allies have “accused the UK of deserting them, going missing in action”.

While the UK was “dithering”, the US, Greece and France have all sent ships to Cyprus, she said.

“Ours is stuck in Portsmouth Harbour, and may set sail some time this week,” Badenoch added in reference to HMS Dragon.

The military chief said demands on defence were “rising” but denied that cuts to the armed forces had slowed down the UK’s response.

Downing Street has also rejected suggestions the government failed to provide enough military assets in the Middle East after RAF Akrotiri was hit.

After the war started on Saturday, the UK was “well set with our posture that had been built up over several weeks”, Sir Richard said and the proposed response was signed by ministers by Tuesday.

He added that additional typhoons, F-35 jets and over 400 people had been sent to Cyprus to help protect and defend the country’s airspace.

It comes as the US landed its first bomber in the UK on Friday after the prime minister approved “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.

Sir Keir had initially refused to grant permission for the US to use UK bases in its joint offensive with Israel against Iran, which led to criticism from US President Donald Trump.

The B-1 Lancer, the fastest in the US Air Force and capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles, arrived into RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening. The aircraft has been used in the past by the US to conduct long-range heavy bombing missions.

The US-Israeli war with Iran is in its eighth day and strikes continue to be fired across the region. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that strikes on Iran are “about to surge dramatically”.

Sir Richard said he was “absolutely confident” the US would adhere to using UK military bases purely for “defensive” purposes.

When asked if the UK would get more involved in the conflict, he said the military would “keep all options under review” but his focus was “on protecting our interests and our people right across the region”.

A third charter flight is due to leave Muscat, Oman on Sunday, the Press Association reported, as the government continues efforts to bring Britons back from the Middle East.

There have been widespread airspace closures across the region, impacting major airports and commercial routes in Dubai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi among others.