The Media Line: UK To Deploy Warship After Iranian Drone Strikes RAF Akrotiri In Cyprus  

UK To Deploy Warship After Iranian Drone Strikes RAF Akrotiri In Cyprus  

By The Media Line Staff  

Britain is preparing to deploy a Royal Navy destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean after an Iranian drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. London reiterated that it is not a party to the war between the United States and Iran.  

The Times reported that HMS Duncan is “likely” to be sent to protect the British sovereign base following discussions between Defense Secretary John Healey and senior military officials. The newspaper, citing three sources, said Healey met with top commanders to consider dispatching the vessel to the region as tensions escalate.  

UK officials said a Tehran-made drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri late Sunday, causing minimal damage and no injuries. The strike marked a rare instance of the conflict reaching European Union territory. About 12 hours later, air raid sirens sounded again as two Typhoon fighter jets and two F-35 aircraft took off from the base.  

The Cypriot government said Monday that two drones headed toward Cyprus were intercepted.  

Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said the UK’s position has not changed despite allowing US forces to use British facilities. “The UK is not at war,” he told the BBC. He added that Iran has ballistic missiles “pointed at the Gulf and it is vital that those missile launchers are taken out in the face of these completely reckless attacks.”  

Akrotiri serves as Britain’s primary air hub for operations in the Middle East and has supported missions against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, as well as strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Britain retained control of the base, along with another facility on Cyprus, when the island gained independence in 1960.  

The base was previously targeted in 1986, when Libyan militants attacked it with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire, injuring three people.  

Earlier Cypriot media reported that France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus following the Iranian attacks.