An Iranian drone crashed into a British RAF base in Cyprus on Sunday, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has said.
It follows the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reporting a “suspected drone strike” at RAF Akrotiri at around midnight local time (22:00 GMT).
No casualties were reported and the base sustained “minimal damage”, but the MoD said family members at the base would be moved to alternative accommodation as a precautionary measure.
“Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people,” it said.
It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK had agreed to a US request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes.
“Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests,” an MoD spokesperson said on Monday morning.
The Sovereign Base Areas Administration confirmed that it was planning the “temporary dispersal of non-essential personnel” from RAF Akrotiri Station.
The temporary dispersal notice would only apply to the military base, it said, adding that there was no need for residents to leave the nearby Akrotiri village.
“All other locations, workplaces, businesses and facilities will remain open as normal and there are no restrictions in place,” the statement read.
President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she had been briefed on the attack by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
“While the Republic of Cyprus was not the target, let me be clear: we stand collectively, firmly and unequivocally with our Member States in the face of any threat,” she said in a statement on social media.
The latest conflict began on Saturday morning when Israel and the US launched a “massive” and ongoing attack against Iran’s leadership and military, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei among those killed.
Iran has responded by firing ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, targeting Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Defence Secretary John Healey said earlier on Sunday that British troops and civilians in the Middle East were being put at risk from “indiscriminate attacks” by Iran.
In a separate earlier incident, Healey said two ballistic missiles were fired towards Cyprus although he was “pretty sure” it was not being targeted.
A Cypriot government spokesman later said Sir Keir had “clearly confirmed that Cyprus was not a target” during a telephone call with the country’s president Nikos Christodoulides.
On Sunday, an RAF Typhoon jet operating out of Qatar shot down an Iranian drone in a “defensive air patrol”, the Ministry of Defence said.
It was the first time a UK fighter had brought down an Iranian drone since the US and Iran strikes began.
Earlier, a UK counter-drone unit in Iraq took down an Iranian drone that was heading towards a coalition base housing UK service personnel.
However, Sir Keir said the UK had learned lessons from the “mistakes of Iraq”, and was not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and would “not join offensive action now”.
Sir Keir said the basis of the decision to accept the US request to use British military bases was the “collective self-defence” of allies and protecting British lives, accusing Iran of pursuing a “scorched-earth strategy”.
The BBC understands the US is likely to use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for strikes on Iranian missile sites.
Source: BBC
