UK RAF airbase in Cyprus hit by drone strike amid rising Middle East tensions

A suspected drone strike hit RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus shortly after midnight, causing minor material damage with no reported casualties, the UK Ministry of Defence said as British forces responded and raised force protection measures.

The incident came soon after Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to allow the US use of selected UK bases for “defensive” operations against Iranian missile sites, though officials say it is not yet clear where the drone was launched from. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides emphasised Cyprus is not participating in any military operations.

Elsewhere, regional hostilities continue after joint US–Israeli strikes on Iran that included the reported killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting widespread Iranian retaliatory missile and drone attacks on military and strategic targets across the Middle East.

Israel expanded its military response beyond Iran on Monday (2  March), carrying out airstrikes on Hezbollah‑controlled areas in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon after the group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least 31 deaths in Beirut and southern Lebanon, while the Israeli military said strikes killed senior Hezbollah officers and ordered evacuations of several villages.

Across the Gulf, retaliatory Iranian missile and drone strikes have hit Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and other states hosting US allied forces, causing explosions in Dubai, Doha and Kuwait City, downed US military aircraft in Kuwait with all crew safe, and triggering air raid alerts and infrastructure disruptions including the temporary shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery.

Governments have intercepted many missiles and drones but report civilian casualties and broader commercial and aviation impacts as regional tensions escalate.

ℹ️ Euronews, Al Jazeera, The Guardian