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An Iranian drone has hit a British military base in Cyprus, British officials have confirmed.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the attack on RAF Akrotiri occurred at around midnight local time and did not result in any casualties.
A Cypriot government spokesperson said the attack caused “little damage.”
RAF Akrotiri is the main British airbase for operations in the Middle East. It is also classed as sovereign British territory.
Hours before the attack, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his government had given permission for the US to use British bases in the region to attack Iranian targets.
“The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose,” Starmer said.
“We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region.”
Starmer said the decision was made in light of Iran’s attacks against countries in the region that had played no part in Operation Epic Fury, the US and Israel’s military operation against Iran.
As well as launching missile and drone attacks across the region, Iran has activated local proxies, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
An Iraqi Shiite militia backed by Iran has attacked US troops in Baghdad. No casualties are reported.
The group, known as Saraya Awliya al-Dam, is one of a number of Iraqi Shiite militias backed by Iran and has operated in the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein, in 2003.
Over the weekend, President Trump said he will offer the Iranian regime several “off ramps” from Operation Epic Fury.
In a phone interview with Axios on Saturday, Trump said, “I can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding [your nuclear program].’”
“In any case, it will take them several years to recover from this attack,” Trump added.
The comments suggest President Trump is still open to a diplomatic solution.
