Sirens had already been blaring minutes after midnight on Monday, 2 March ’26. They were warning personnel to take cover on the RAF military base at Akrotiri, located on the southern coastline. Soon after, an Iranian-made Shahed drone struck a hangar.
The British had not informed the Cypriot government of this strike. So, now the eastern Mediterranean island nation is eager to re-evaluate the status of Britain’s two military bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
On Tuesday, 24 March, the British warship HMS Dragon is making its way toward waters off Cyprus to offer additional protection from any potential attack.
On Sunday, 1 March, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the U.S. would be permitted to use British military bases for the ‘specific’ and limited ‘defensive purpose’ of striking Iran’s missile storage and launch sites. The announcement prompted concern among Cypriot authorities as it appeared to contradict British assurances that they wouldn’t use the island’s bases. British officials later clarified that the military bases allocated to the U.S. were located in England and the Indian Ocean, but not Cyprus.
The next evening, according to 2 senior Cypriot officials who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, as they weren’t authorised to speak publicly about the matter. British authorities gave Cyprus’ government no warning of the drone heading towards the RAF Akrotiri airbase, which endangered the lives of nearly 1,000 people resident nearby.
When enquired about the Cyprus complaint, the UK’s Ministry of Defence did not address the question directly but instead repeated that the UK–Cyprus longstanding friendship remains ‘strong in the face of Iranian threats’. The UK also added that the bases play a crucial role in supporting the safety of British citizens, as well as those of UK allies, both in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East.
