UK’s RAF base Akrotiri struck by Iranian-made drone overnight

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An RAF base in Cyprus was hit by a drone strike hours after Sir Keir Starmer let the US use British bases to attack Iran.

RAF Akrotiri was hit overnight by an unmanned Iranian-made Shahed drone, which caused minor damage, the country’s president, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Monday morning.

There were no casualties in the blast, which took place at around midnight local time (10pm in the UK) and targeted the airport runway.

The attack came as war continued to spread across the Middle East, with Hezbollah and Israel trading strikes and ‘several’ US fighter jet crashing over Kuwait.

Non-essential staff at RAF Akrotiri have now been temporarily relocated following the drone strike.

Police check vehicles on the road leading to RAF Akrotiri (Picture: REUTERS)

President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides confirmed the drone strike on Monday (Picture: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

An MoD spokesperson said earlier: ‘Our armed forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time.

‘Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people.

‘This is a live situation and further information will be provided in due course.’

In a speech following the drone attack, the Cypriot president said : ‘I want ⁠to be clear: Our country ‌does not ⁠participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation.’

Nikos Christodoulides added that the country’s forces were on ‘alert and in full operational readiness’.

The drone strike follow Sir Keir’s decision to allow the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites.

The prime minister said he made the call ‘to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region… killing innocent civilians … putting British lives at risk … and hitting countries that have not been involved.’

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The scene following an airstrike on an Iranian police centre damaging residential buildings around it in Niloofar square in central Tehran (Picture: Parspix/ABACA/Shutterstock)

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said this morning that the US would not be able to use British bases to hit ‘political and economic and infrastructure targets’.

She added: ‘But there is a significant issue about ballistic missiles and launchers that are effectively pointed at the Gulf, pointed at our partner countries and countries where we have so many British citizens.’

The last time RAF Akrotiri was attacked was by Libyan militants in the mid-1980s.

The base has previously been used for military operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

It is understood that the UK government recently moved additional resources to its bases in Cyprus before the US and Israel attacked Iran over the weekend.

The conflict in the Middle East continued to intensify on Monday morning.

Irael and Hezbollah – a militant group and Iranian proxy based in Lebanon – exchanged rounds of strikes.

The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli attacks in the capital, Beirut, and in Southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people.

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese area of Deir Seryan (Picture: Rabih DAHER / AFP via Getty Images)

Debris is seen at the bottom of a damaged building after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb neighborhood of Haret Hreik (Picture: by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images)

Multiple rounds of explosions were also reported in the Iranian capital Tehran and other cities.

More explosions have been heard across the Gulf, including in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Several American fighter aircraft came down over Kuwait this morning, the country’s Ministry of Defence said.

The crews ‘survived unscathed’ and are in a ‘stable’ condition.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.

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