UK defence secretary flies to Cyprus after drone hits RAF base

John Healey, the UK defence secretary, has flown to Cyprus to manage the diplomatic fallout following a drone strike that hit RAF Akrotiri, an RAF base on the island, prompting anger from local authorities.

UK officials believe the Shahed-style drone, thought to have been launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq, evaded detection by flying low and slow. However, investigations have not been able to conclusively determine its launch site, The Guardian reports.

The attack occurred during retaliatory Iranian bombardments over the weekend, following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The strike on March 1, along with two other drones intercepted later on March 2 morning, is believed to have been carried out by the Shia militia group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. Although there were no injuries and only limited damage, the drone strike—the first against a British military installation in Cyprus in 40 years—sparked significant frustration from the Cypriot government.

The Cypriot defence minister met Healey in Nicosia. The Cypriot high commissioner in the UK, Kyriacos Kouros, told BBC Newsnight that the country was “disappointed” with the UK’s failure to warn residents. He said: “Let’s say the people are disappointed, the people are scared, the people could expect more. More cooperation with the government of Cyprus to safeguard that such incidents won’t happen again.”

Cyprus’ president, Nikos Christodoulides, openly criticised the failure to intercept the drone, noting the country had no intention of participating in any military operations. A spokesperson added that there was “no clear clarification that the British bases in Cyprus would under no circumstances be used for any purpose other than humanitarian reasons in Sunday’s statement by the UK prime minister” and pledged that “all necessary steps will be taken to communicate our dissatisfaction, both with the way this message was communicated and the fact that yesterday there was no timely warning to citizens of Cyprus living near the Akrotiri bases.”

In response, the UK has deployed the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon, expected to arrive next week, along with two Wildcat helicopters equipped with counter-drone capabilities. Defence sources said the helicopters would enhance detection and interception of low-flying drones like those that evaded defences on March 1.

Additional military support has been provided by France and Greece, including F-16 fighter jets and anti-missile and anti-drone systems. Families have been evacuated from RAF Akrotiri and surrounding areas and are expected to remain away from the base for the foreseeable future.

By Vafa Guliyeva