Spain and Italy are joining European allies in reinforcing Cyprus after a drone strike on a British base heightened fears of escalation in the Iran conflict.
Cypriot High Commissioner to the UK Kyriacos Kouros said on March 4 that Cypriots are disappointed with the UK government’s response following a drone strike on a British military base on the island.
Speaking to the BBC when asked whether Cyprus felt adequately protected by the UK, Kouros said, “Let’s say that the people are disappointed, the people are scared, the people could expect more.”
A drone struck the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base on the Mediterranean island on March 2 amid escalating tensions linked to the conflict involving Iran.
“The British people have to understand that the British bases in Cyprus cannot be seen separated from the whole of the island,” Kouros told Sky News on March 4. “There are Cypriots living in the British bases.”
On Wednesday, British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey said in a March 5 post on X that the “longstanding friendship between the UK and the Republic of Cyprus is strong in the face of Iranian threats.”
He said that he had discussed with Cypriot Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas how the UK is further reinforcing air defenses to support shared security with Cyprus.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) said in a March 4 post on X that the drone was “not launched from Iran.”
The MOD said that “overnight, RAF Typhoon and F-35B jets continued defensive air operations across the Middle East with support from Voyager air-to-air refuelling in defence of British interests and allies.”
“The Ministry of Defence can confirm that a Shahed-like drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri at midnight on 2nd March was not launched from Iran,” it stated.
It added that “in the last 24 hours, the UK has resupplied air defence systems to British and allied bases across the region—including UK-built air defence missiles.”
“Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters—armed with Martlet missiles capable of taking out aerial threats—will arrive in Cyprus in the coming days,” it said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that he was deploying HMS Dragon, an air defense destroyer, to Cyprus.
Spain, Italy, and France are deploying military assets to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean as European countries move in, in an attempt to bolster security following Iranian drone attacks in the region.
By Owen Evans
