Iranian drone crashes into British base in Cyprus
Israel's war with Iran spreads across the region
Cyprus's President Nikos Christodoulides said an Iranian drone had crashed into a British base on the Mediterranean island on Monday, as the Israeli-American war with Iran spread across the region.
Minutes after midnight, "a Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the military facilities of the British Bases in Akrotiri, causing minor material damage", he said.
"We are in a region of particular geopolitical instability with many challenges and problems, which is going through an unprecedented crisis. Our homeland does not participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation."
The statement came after the British defence ministry said British forces were responding to a suspected drone strike at its military base in Cyprus.
"Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people," a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a statement.
Britain agreed on Sunday to allow the United States to use British military bases to fire "defensive" strikes aimed at destroying Iranian missiles and their launchers.
The Royal Air Force Akrotiri base is a British overseas territory near the southern coastal city of Limassol.
While announcing that British bases can be used by US forces for defensive strikes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that Britain was "not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now".
"But Iran is pursuing a scorched-earth strategy, so we are supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region," he said in a post on X.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday said the bloc was solidly behind member states after an Iranian drone crashed into a British base on Cyprus.
"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," she said.