British base on Cyprus hit in Iranian drone attack

A British Royal Air Force facility in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian suicide drone overnight Sunday, causing limited damage but no casualties, according to Cypriot authorities and London’s Defense Ministry.

The Shahed-type drone caused minor damage when it crashed into RAF Akrotiri, a U.K. sovereign base on the Greek side of the island, just after midnight local time, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides stated.

“I am in constant contact with all European leaders and leaders of other states regarding developments,” continued the leader, who currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“Our country does not participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation,” Christodoulides added.

The drone strike came shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom had granted the United States access to its bases for attacks on the Iranian regime’s missiles and launch sites.

The U.K. Defense Ministry confirmed to the BBC that its armed forces responded to the attack at RAF Akrotiri at around midnight local time.

“Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people,” the ministry statement added.

The Sovereign Bases Administration that manages the British territories on Cyprus subsequently 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 base, it stated, adding that there was no need for residents to leave the nearby town.

On Sunday, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said that Iran fired two missiles toward Cyprus that landed close to a military base, though he added that London was “pretty sure” Tehran did not target the island.

In response to an Israel Hayom request, the E.U. Ambassador to Israel, Michael Mann, condemned the attack, calling it “totally unacceptable.”

The Israeli and U.S. militaries launched preemptive airstrikes against the Islamic Republic on Saturday to neutralize the threats posed by Tehran.

Iran subsequently fired many dozens of ballistic missiles into the Jewish state, killing eleven and wounding many more, with air-raid sirens continuing to blare across the country on Monday morning.

As part of the conflict, the Islamic regime has also carried out missile and drone attacks targeting several Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

In a statement posted to Truth Social announcing the start of “major combat operations” against the Islamic Republic on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that his objective was “to defend the American people” by neutralizing the “imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.”

Iran’s “menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world,” the president wrote on Truth Social.