The United Kingdom’s RAF base at Akrotiri in Cyprus was struck in a suspected Iranian drone attack overnight, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Britain’s Ministry of Defence said. The incident came after Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to let the United States use UK bases for strikes on Iran.
President Christodoulides said all relevant services were on alert and at full operational readiness. He said a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle caused minor damage when it crashed into military facilities at 12:03am (22:00 GMT). The president stressed that Cyprus ‘does not participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation.’
Akrotiri, located southwest of Limassol on a square-shaped peninsula at Cyprus’s southern tip, is one of two bases the UK retained after Cypriot independence in 1960. The site houses military facilities and family accommodation for serving personnel and has supported past operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Base authorities instructed residents near Akrotiri to shelter in place after a ‘suspected drone impact’, announced that non-essential personnel would be dispersed, and said other British facilities would continue to operate normally. The UK Defence Ministry described the episode as a ‘live situation’, saying force protection in the region was at the highest level and that the base had taken steps to defend personnel.
It was unclear where the suspected Shahed drone was launched from. Two anonymous sources told Reuters that a second drone had been intercepted by UK forces; Al Jazeera said it could not verify that claim.
The attack — the first on the British military facility — is being viewed as an escalation in the broader conflict, now in its third day. The timing followed Starmer’s decision to help Washington in operations against Iran, a move the UK had initially resisted on legal grounds.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU stands ‘collectively, firmly and unequivocally’ with any member state facing threats. Although Akrotiri is regarded as British sovereign territory, Cyprus is an EU member and currently holds the bloc’s rotating presidency.