Cyprus News: Drone crashes into RAF Akrotiri; two more intercepted nearby

Mo. Basuony

Published: March 2, 2026 8:25 AM ET

Cyprus News: Drone crashes into RAF Akrotiri; two more intercepted nearby

cyprus news — A Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus overnight, causing minor damage and no casualties, and two further drones travelling toward the base were intercepted the following day, Cypriot.

The strike at Akrotiri occurred at 12: 03 a. m. local time when the Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into military facilities on the base; authorities described the damage as minor or limited and confirmed no casualties. The Sovereign Base Areas Administration said it planned the temporary dispersal of non-essential personnel from RAF Akrotiri and that family members would be moved to alternative accommodation as a precautionary measure.

On Monday employees at the base received messages warning of an "ongoing security threat" and instructing staff to stay away from windows and take shelter behind furniture, while sirens were reported in the area. The same day, two unmanned aerial vehicles travelling in the direction of RAF Akrotiri were successfully intercepted, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a post on X.

An alarm was raised at Paphos Airport after a suspected drone was spotted in the airspace and evacuation instructions were issued; the US embassy in Cyprus warned of a possible drone threat in the Paphos region. The Sovereign Base Areas Administration said it was working with the Republic of Cyprus and local authorities to support any Akrotiri residents who wish to temporarily leave the village. EasyJet cancelled all flights to and from the country on Monday.

Cyprus News: what leaders and

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said the incident involved an Iranian drone and told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen he had briefed her on the attack; von der Leyen said, "While the Republic of Cyprus was not the target, let me be clear: we stand collectively, firmly and unequivocally with our Member States in the face of any threat. "

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government was still investigating details and that the Ministry of Defence was assessing the source, locations and timings of the attacks. Cooper added that the recent pattern of Iranian drone and missile strikes across Gulf partners demonstrated the seriousness of Tehran's actions. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had earlier agreed to a US request to use British military bases for "defensive" strikes and said he would allow the United States to use UK bases to "destroy [Iranian] missiles at source. "

How the base and local area were affected

The crash damaged military facilities at Akrotiri on a peninsula at the southern tip of Cyprus southwest of Limassol; Akrotiri is one of two British bases the UK has maintained since Cyprus became independent in 1960 and has been used in past operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The Sovereign Base Areas Administration advised non-essential personnel to disperse temporarily and offered help to residents seeking to leave the nearby village.

Wider regional strikes and UK defence activity

British forces have been drawn into a wave of regional reprisals. Three hundred British personnel were within 200 metres of an Iranian missile and drone strike on a US naval base in Bahrain; no casualties were reported. The strike in Bahrain was one of more than 25 waves of retaliatory attacks following a massive US-Israeli joint bombing campaign launched against Iran.

The Ministry of Defence said British forces shot down an Iranian drone in Iraq that was said to be headed for a western base, and an Iranian missile landed 400 metres from UK personnel in Iraq who were on counter-Islamic State operations. A separate drone headed towards Qatar was shot down by a Typhoon jet using an air-to-air missile.

Defence posture and official reactions

Defence Secretary John Healey said Iran was "lashing out in an increasingly indiscriminate and widespread way" and that Britain was seeking to protect civilian sites and military assets. British jets from RAF Akrotiri and the American Al Udeid airbase in Qatar have been mobilised to shoot down drones and slower-moving cruise missiles, though officials noted they cannot stop faster-moving ballistic missiles. All UK personnel in the Middle East are said to be safe and accounted for, and British troops remain on the highest state of alert with locations and positioning under review.

Regional context and recent escalations

Tehran has responded to a US-Israeli attack on Iran with strikes across the region. Since that attack—which the context says killed the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and other key officials—Iran has struck Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan. Many attacks were directed at US bases; others hit Kuwait's airport, the Fairmont hotel in Dubai and a skyscraper in Bahrain. Iran also fired two missiles into the eastern Mediterranean Sea in the direction of Cyprus; officials do not believe those missiles were aimed at RAF Akrotiri and said they may instead have been targeted at the US navy's Ford carrier strike group operating nearby.

The next confirmed steps include ongoing MoD assessments of source, locations and timings of the strikes, the temporary dispersal of non-essential personnel from RAF Akrotiri, and support arrangements for residents considering leaving the nearby village.