A British military base in Cyprus was hit shortly after midnight on Monday morning, March 2, by one, or possibly two, attack drones.
Since the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on Saturday in an attempt to topple the ayatollah’s regime, retaliatory Iranian drone attacks have struck military and civilian targets across the Middle East.
The incident came after the United Kingdom on Sunday, March 1, agreed to allow the United States to use British military bases to strike Iranian missile sites, The Guardian reported.
Within hours of the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement, the UK’s Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus was hit by a suspected drone, sustaining what officials described as “minor damage” and causing no casualties.
“I want to be clear: our country does not participate in any way and does not intend to participate in any military operation,” Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said in a statement, according to The Guardian.
An attack on a British military facility in Cyprus could risk further escalation. The UK’s bases on the island are sovereign British territory, while Cyprus itself is a member of the European Union. The country assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in January 2026.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X on Monday, March 2, that she had been briefed by Christodoulides.
She added that even if Cyprus was not the intended target, the EU stands “collectively, firmly and unequivocally” with its member states in the face of any threat.
Starmer also said Sunday that Britain will bring in “experts from Ukraine” to help Gulf states shoot down Iranian drones following recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
While stressing that the UK “was not involved in the strikes on Iran,” he said Tehran’s retaliatory attacks have endangered British nationals and military personnel in the region, noting that Iran struck a base in Bahrain and narrowly missed British troops.
Starmer emphasized that the UK would refrain from “offensive action,” limiting its role to defensive measures and permitting US forces to use British bases to target missile storage sites and launchers.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also offered Kyiv’s expertise, citing Ukraine’s extensive experience countering Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia.
He noted that even countries with advanced air defense systems struggle to achieve full protection against missiles and drones, adding that Ukraine stands ready to share its battlefield knowledge with partners.
Zelensky said that over four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow has launched more than 57,000 Shahed-type drones – including Iranian-made models and Russian-produced Gerans – against targets in Ukraine.