Iranian drone crashes into U.K. Air Force unit; Keir Starmer allows use of bases for ‘limited defensive’ operations
The Hindu
Iranian drone crashes into RAF Akrotiri; UK permits US to use bases for limited defensive operations amid escalating regional conflict.
A British Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian one-way attack drone during the ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes launched on Tehran over the weekend, confirmed by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday (March 2, 2026).
The U.K.'s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said RAF Akrotiri sustained "minimal damage" on Sunday (March 1, 2026) at around midnight local time, with no casualties reported.
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It came hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s video statement announcing the U.K.’s decision to allow the United States permission to use British bases for "limited defensive" operations to protect British lives and interests in West Asia.
"Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests," an MoD spokesperson said.
Family members at the base will be moved to alternative accommodation as a precautionary measure under a “temporary dispersal notice” for the British military base.
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