A drone strike hit Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, causing minor damage but no casualties.
A drone strike struck Britain’s Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus overnight, causing minor damage but no casualties, Cypriot and British officials confirmed on Monday.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the military facility shortly after midnight, at 12:03 a.m., resulting in limited structural damage. He stressed that Cyprus was not participating in any military operations.
“I want to be clear: Our country does not participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation,” Christodoulides said, adding that all relevant services were on high alert and in full operational readiness.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident and said there were no injuries. Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that British forces intercepted a second drone, though it remains unclear from where the Iranian-made aircraft was launched.
The strike marks the first attack on the Akrotiri base since a rocket assault by Libyan militants in 1986, representing a significant escalation amid broader regional tensions.
Akrotiri, located southwest of Limassol on a peninsula at Cyprus’s southern tip, is one of two sovereign base areas Britain retained after Cyprus gained independence in 1960. While the bases are British sovereign territory, Cyprus itself is a member of the European Union and currently holds the bloc’s rotating presidency.
In addition to military infrastructure, the base accommodates families of British service personnel. Following the strike, authorities advised nearby residents to shelter in place and announced that non-essential personnel would be dispersed. Other British facilities on the island continue to operate normally.
Akrotiri has previously served as a staging ground for British operations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. On Sunday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain had agreed to a US request to use its bases for defensive strikes targeting Iranian missile depots or launch sites.
The incident underscores the growing risk that regional hostilities could spill into additional territories as tensions intensify.
