Iranian-made drone hits British air base in Cyprus, causing limited damage

AKROTIRI, Cyprus, March 2 - A drone strike hit a British air base in Cyprus overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties, Cypriot and British officials said on Monday, in a marked escalation effectively dragging an EU member state into the conflict surrounding Iran. Read more at straitstimes.com.

AKROTIRI, Cyprus, March 2 - A drone strike hit a British air base in Cyprus overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties, Cypriot and British officials said on Monday, in a marked escalation effectively dragging an EU member state into the conflict surrounding Iran.

The threat continued into Monday when a government spokesman posted on X that two more "unmanned aerial vehicles" that were heading towards the British Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri were intercepted. Sirens sounded at the base after midday on Monday (1000 GMT) and Reuters witnesses saw aircraft taking off.

The overnight strike, which hit a runway at the base, shook the east Mediterranean island, a holiday hotspot and home to thousands of foreign companies. The base, used in the past for military operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, was last attacked by Libyan militants in 1986.

Britain had moved additional air assets to Akrotiri in anticipation of U.S. action against Iran in preceding weeks while saying British bases would not be used.

On Sunday, however, after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain had accepted a U.S. request to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers.

British foreign minister Yvette Cooper said the U.S. had not requested access to the Akrotiri air base and that the UK was being targeted by Iran.