The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that it is responding to a suspected Iranian drone strike at a British military base in Cyprus.
“Our Armed Forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time,” a spokesperson told The Independent. “Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people.”
The spokesperson added that the situation was “live” and that further information would be provided “in due course.”
It is understood that there were no casualties in the strike, which took place in the early hours of Monday morning, but that “minor damage” had been caused.
The incident comes after Sir Keir Starmer announced that, in a dramatic U-turn, he had granted permission for US forces to use UK bases as conflict continues to escalate following strikes carried out by America and Israel on Saturday.
“The US has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose,” Starmer said in a video message to the nation on Sunday evening. “We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved.”
The prime minister has been hit on both sides over his response, first by Tories and Reform for initially refusing to allow the use of the RAF, and now by Greens for caving in to Donald Trump.
Green party leader Zack Polanski told The Independent: “It took just one phone call from Donald Trump for Starmer to jump into yet another Middle East illegal war, failing to learn the lessons of the tragedies of Iraq, Libya and Syria.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told The Independent: “Better late than never. We have a follower not a leader.”
Starmer’s change of heart is likely to fuel concerns that the UK is also being dragged into another war in the Middle East. On Saturday Sir Keir revealed that Iran had planned 20 atrocities in the UK just in the last year.
