RAF base in Cyprus hit by suspected drone strike

Explosions rang out as British troops were told to take cover Daily Telegraph 02/03/26 An RAF airbase in Cyprus has been hit in a suspected drone attack. “Our Armed Forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time,” an MoD spokesman said in a statement overnight.

“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.” Explosions had been heard overnight near the base in the Limassol area. There were no casualties but the airfield sustained “minor damage”, according to GB News. An RAF Voyager refuelling and transport aircraft has since been seen circling southern Cyprus, according to live flight data, in what appears to be part of the military response. The Airbus KC2 Voyager, one of the RAF’s main air-to-air refuelling tankers, took off from Akrotiri at 12.46am (10.46pm GMT) local time. Additional defensive assets, including radar systems, counter-drone technology, F-35 Lightning II aircraft and ground-based air defence capabilities, were recently moved to British bases in the region. On Sunday, Britain gave the US permission to use its military bases to strike Iran. Sir Keir Starmer backed the war with Iran after Tehran continued to strike allies across the Middle East with missiles and drones. In a video posted on X, the Prime Minister said: “The United States has requested permission to use British bases for specific and limited defensive purpose. “We have taken the decision to accept that request, to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved.” Britain had previously refused US permission to use bases such as RAF Fairford and the British-owned base at Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, citing international law. The decision led Donald Trump to withdraw his support for Sir Keir’s deal to hand the islands to Mauritius. John Healey, the Defence Secretary, told Sky News that missiles had been fired towards UK bases in Cyprus from Iran, although the claims were denied by the Cypriot authorities. Some reports suggested Sunday’s suspected strike may have originated from Lebanon. If this is the case, it is likely to have been orchestrated by Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group. Hezbollah fired a barrage of missiles at Israel after midnight, Israeli security officials said. The strikes, which marked the terrorist group’s formal entry into the war, were in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei RAF Akrotiri forms part of British Forces Cyprus, one of two UK Sovereign Base Areas retained after Cypriot independence in 1960. Located near Limassol on Cyprus’s southern coast, the base sits in a strategically significant position, close to the Middle East. It plays a central role in British military activity across the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean, supporting air operations, intelligence missions, humanitarian deployments and coalition activity. Frontline RAF units, including Typhoon fast jets, transport aircraft, aerial refuelling tankers and surveillance platforms are based there, along with more than 4,000 serving personnel and their families. Although there is no permanent US base at Akrotiri, American aircraft have operated there with UK approval. Previous security concerns Earlier this year, a British man was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying at RAF Akrotiri on behalf of Iran. He was detained in June on suspicion of espionage and terrorism-related offences following what authorities described as a co-ordinated security operation. Foreign intelligence services had reportedly raised concerns that he may have been planning an imminent attack. Local media described the arrested Briton as being of Azerbaijani descent and having links to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).