An RAF base in Cyprus has been struck by a “kamikaze” attack drone, hours after Britain granted the United States permission to launch air operations against Iran from joint military bases.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that a suicide drone hit RAF Akrotiri late on Sunday evening. Damage was described as minimal and there were no immediate reports of casualties.
As a precaution, families of service personnel stationed at the base are being evacuated.
A defence source said a full assessment was under way to determine whether the strike was deliberately aimed at the base or part of a wider wave of attacks across the region.
Timing Raises Questions
British officials believe the drone was likely launched before Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly confirmed he had authorised the US to use British facilities for what he described as a “limited defensive purpose”.
Starmer said the US had requested access to the joint UK-US base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
He stated that the decision was made to prevent Iran from launching further missile attacks across the region, which he said posed a threat to civilians and British personnel. The government also published a summary of its legal advice, arguing that the move was consistent with international law under the principle of collective self-defence.
According to the statement, support for the US was “solely focused on ending the threat of air and missile attacks against regional allies unlawfully attacked by Iran”.
UK Distances Itself from Offensive Strikes
Despite granting access to bases, the government has sought to distance itself from the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
Defence Secretary John Healey declined to say whether Britain supported those offensive operations. Appearing on the BBC, he repeated that the UK “played no part” in the strikes themselves, though he emphasised that Britain shares the objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Healey also stated that it was for the United States to set out the legal justification for its actions.
International and Domestic Reaction
Other Western leaders have offered clearer backing. Mark Carney said he supported US efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, while Anthony Albanese issued a similar endorsement.
In contrast, the British government’s more cautious stance has drawn criticism from opposition figures.
Nigel Farage urged Starmer to “support the Americans in this vital fight” and called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be formally designated a terrorist organisation in line with EU measures.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she stood with the US and Israel as they confronted Iran. Dame Priti Patel questioned whether British bases should have been used more proactively in support of the strikes, suggesting that intelligence cooperation between the UK and US would have involved advance knowledge of operational plans.
Ukrainian Expertise to Assist Gulf Allies
In a further sign of the widening conflict, Starmer confirmed that Britain would deploy Ukrainian specialists experienced in countering drone warfare to assist Gulf allies in intercepting Iranian drones.
The drone that struck RAF Akrotiri was described as similar to those used extensively in the war in Ukraine. Such systems are typically designed to detonate on impact and can travel long distances at relatively low altitude.
While the damage in Cyprus appears limited, the incident underscores the growing risks to British forces in the region as tensions escalate.
A fuller investigation is expected in the coming days to determine the origin of the drone and whether the strike was specifically targeted at British assets.
