Spain is sending its most advanced frigate to help provide air defense for Cyprus, an EU member state that has come under drone attack as tensions rise across the Middle East, the Spanish Defence Ministry said Thursday.
The Cristóbal Colón (F105 frigate) will deploy to the eastern Mediterranean to help shield the island from aerial threats and assist with potential evacuations of civilians from the region.
The Spanish warship will join a multinational European naval force led by the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91), alongside vessels from the Netherlands, Greece and Italy, tasked with strengthening air defense around Cyprus, located roughly 150 miles (240 km) from Israel’s coast.
The deployment follows a drone strike early Monday on the British RAF Akrotiri base on the island. British officials said the attack caused minimal damage and no casualties, adding on Thursday that the drone was not launched from Iran.
Several European countries have since moved to reinforce the island’s defenses. Britain is sending the air-defense destroyer HMS Dragon (D35) along with Wildcat helicopters equipped with anti-drone missiles, while France has redirected the Charles de Gaulle carrier group to the eastern Mediterranean.
Italy will also send naval assets in the coming days, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament Thursday.
Rome is additionally preparing to supply air-defense, anti-drone and anti-missile systems to strategic partners in the Gulf, confirming remarks by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The deployments come amid US pressure on Spain to allow Washington to use its bases against Iran, with Madrid resisting and prompting trade threats from President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the White House claimed Spain had agreed to “cooperate with the US military,” but Spain reaffirmed its opposition.
Despite that stance, Spanish officials say the deployment is aimed at protecting a fellow EU member and supporting regional stability as the conflict risks spilling beyond the Middle East.