Drone, possibly Iranian, strikes British airbase in Cyprus

The British Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus was struck by a drone, possibly belonging to Iran, Cyprus Mail reported.

Base personnel were informed that a “small drone struck the airfield,” and that base leadership was responding to the incident.

It was confirmed that there were no casualties, but “minor damage” was sustained.

Authorities at the base instructed personnel to “stay put and await further instructions,” warning that “additional strikes are possible,” while explosions and sirens were reportedly heard in nearby Limassol.

Later, the UK government announced that British armed forces were “responding to an alleged drone strike” on Akrotiri.

“Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people. This is a live situation and further information will be provided in due course,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, a Royal Air Force Airbus KC-2 Voyager circled over southern Cyprus for three hours early March 2 morning and was still airborne at 3:30 a.m.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the drone that struck Cyprus could have been a Shahed 136 — a one-way attack drone previously used in Iranian strikes on Israel, as well as by Russian forces during the war in Ukraine.

Earlier, the British bases had declared a “security threat” shortly before midnight.

Sources told Cyprus Mail that base personnel were warned of a threat and instructed to “return home and stay indoors until further notice.”

They were also advised to “stay away from windows and take cover behind or under solid furniture” while awaiting further instructions.

The strike occurred roughly an hour after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that he would allow the United States to use British military bases to “destroy Iranian missiles at their source,” either in storage facilities or on “launchers used for missile launches.”

He stated that the government had taken this decision “to prevent Iran from launching missiles in the region, killing innocent civilians, threatening British lives, and striking non-participating countries.”

“The basis of our decision is collective self-defense of long-standing friends and allies, as well as the protection of British lives,” Starmer added, emphasizing that the decision was made “in accordance with international law,” and that British forces “are not participating in these strikes.”

Earlier the same day, UK and Cypriot politicians provided conflicting information about whether Iranian missiles had been launched toward Cyprus on Saturday night.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey told Sky News on the morning of March 1 that “two projectiles were launched in the direction of Cyprus.”

“We do not believe they were aimed at Cyprus, but it is an example of a real and growing threat from a regime that strikes across the region, and it requires our action,” he said.

However, later, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus leader Tufan Erhürman, Defence Minister Vassilis Palmas, and government spokesperson Konstantinos Letimbiotis refuted these claims.

Letimbiotis was the first to respond to Healey’s comments, saying, “This is not true, and there is no indication that the country was under threat,” while Palmas wrote on social media that he “categorically denies” Healey’s statements.

Christodoulidis later stated that he had a phone conversation with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who “clearly and unequivocally confirmed that Cyprus was not the target.”

Meanwhile, Erhürman said he received information that reports of missiles heading toward Cyprus were false and warned that “making statements without fully verifying the news at such a time is extremely risky.”