A Royal Air Force base in Cyprus was struck by an Iranian one-way attack drone amid ongoing US and Israeli strikes on Tehran over the weekend, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides confirmed on Monday.
The UK’s Ministry of Defense said RAF Akrotiri suffered “minimal damage” late Sunday around midnight local time, adding that no casualties were reported.
The development followed a video address by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in which he said the UK would permit the United States to use British bases for “limited defensive” missions aimed at safeguarding British lives and interests in West Asia.
What did MoD say?
“Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests,” an MoD spokesperson said.
As a precaution, families stationed at the base will be relocated to other accommodation under a “temporary dispersal notice” issued for the British military facility.
“All other locations, workplaces, businesses and facilities will remain open as normal and there are no restrictions in place,” the MoD said.
The attack came in the wake of Starmer’s updated statement on the conflict in the region, which led to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni.
“Our partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them, and it is my duty to protect British lives. We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes,” Starmer said from 10 Downing Street.
“But the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source – in their storage depots or the launchers which used to fire the missiles. The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.
“We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved,” he said.
Setting out the legal basis in international law of the decision alongside the announcement, the UK PM stressed Britain is “not joining the strikes” and the latest move was about “collective self-defence”.
“I want to be very clear: we all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now.
“But Iran is pursuing a scorched earth strategy, so we are supporting the collective self defense of our allies and our people in the region,” he said.
According to the BBCthe US is likely to use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, south-west England, and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for strikes on Iranian missile sites.
Meanwhile, the UK is organizing efforts to assist roughly 200,000 British nationals in the Gulf affected by the strikes. Officials are reportedly preparing contingency plans to evacuate them, many of whom are holidaymakers, if regional airspace closures persist.
In his address, Keir Starmer mentioned, “We have at least 200,000 British citizens in the region – residents, families on holiday, and those in transit. I ask all our people in the region to please register your presence and follow Foreign Office travel advice.
“I know this is a deeply worrying time and we will continue to do all we can to support you.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has urged British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, the Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to register their presence in order to receive updates.
