Suspected drone strike targets RAF base in Cyprus, as UK backs US ‘defensive’ action

A suspected drone strike targeted RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday night, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. As reported by the BBC, armed forces responded quickly to the incident, which occurred around midnight local time.

There were no reported casualties, and the MoD said force protection measures in the region remain at their highest level. Personnel at the base were prepared to defend both themselves and military facilities.

The incident comes after the UK agreed to a US request to use British military bases for what were described as “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed the decision, with RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean expected to be used for the operations.

UK reinforces defensive stance amid regional escalation

The broader conflict began on Saturday morning with a large-scale attack by Israel and the US against Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure. Hormuz tanker transit disruption has also been reported amid the escalation, alongside strikes and retaliatory launches across the region.

Reports cited by the BBC indicate that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in the initial strikes, while Iran has since launched ballistic missiles and drones targeting US assets and regional allies including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Iran attacks on Gulf bases were also reported as the exchange intensified.

Defence Secretary John Healey previously warned that British troops and civilians in the Middle East were at risk from what he described as “indiscriminate attacks” by Iran. In an earlier incident, two ballistic missiles were reportedly fired toward Cyprus, although Healey said he was “pretty sure” the island was not the intended target, a position later echoed by a Cypriot government spokesman following a call between Starmer and President Nikos Christodoulides.

The UK has already taken part in defensive operations tied to the escalation. On Sunday, an RAF Typhoon operating from Qatar shot down an Iranian drone during what was described as a defensive air patrol, marking the first time a UK fighter jet has downed an Iranian drone since the latest round of strikes began. In addition, a UK counter-drone unit in Iraq intercepted and destroyed an Iranian drone headed toward a coalition base housing British service personnel, while Starmer has stressed that the UK was not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and will not join offensive action, framing the decision as part of the collective self-defence of allies and the protection of British lives.