British Base Hit in Cyprus, U.K. Terror Threat Under Review as Iran War Spreads

A British Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, came under attack Monday morning, marking a significant escalation in the Iran war. An Iranian-made drone hit in the early hours, making impact on the runway. Hours later, two unmanned drones heading towards the same base were successfully intercepted. “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 told TIME. There were no casualties, but U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that the first strike targeted the runway and “precautionary measures” are now being taken around the base. The attacks on Akrotiri, a British sovereign base area, comes after the RAF recently moved additional defensive capabilities to the location—including radar systems, anti-drone defenses, and F-35 jets—as part of ongoing efforts to support stability in the Middle East. Showcasing the widening impact of the Iran conflict, an airport in Paphos, Cyprus, was later evacuated after a suspect object was picked up on radars. Cooper spoke of the “international” threat Monday morning and expressed the importance of recognizing “the responsibilities we have around defensive support for areas where there are British citizens.” In an interview with Sky News, Cooper said she had spoken with foreign ministers around the Gulf “who were frankly shocked and horrified at the way their countries have been targeted by Iran over the weekend.” In the initial aftermath of the U.S. and Israel launching strikes on Iran early Saturday after failing to reach a deal over the country’s nuclear capabilities—strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—British Prime Minister Keir Starmer clarified the U.K. had no role in the military action. Despite the lack of involvement, he reiterated his stance that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. He said over the last year alone, the Iranian regime has “backed more than 20 potentially lethal attacks on U.K. soil.” Starmer had previously refused to let the U.S. use British bases to bomb Iran, but he notably changed course on Sunday night. “Over the last two days Iran has launched sustained attacks across the region at countries who did not attack them. They’ve hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying. This is clearly a dangerous situation,” said Starmer, highlighting how Iran hit a military base in Bahrain on Sunday that narrowly missed British personnel. “The United States has requested permission to use British bases… We have taken the decision to accept this request—to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved,” he added. Trump said he is “very disappointed” with Starmer for initially blocking him from using Diego Garcia of the Chagos Islands to carry out strikes on Iran, arguing it took “far too long” for the U.K. leader to change his mind. He told the Telegraph a situation such as that had “probably never happened between our countries before” and surmised that Starmer was likely “worried about the legality.” Prior to the Iran strikes, Trump and Starmer recently clashed over the joint U.K.-U.S. military base. Read More: Trump Again Warns Starmer Not to ‘Lose Control’ of Chagos Islands, Citing Iran Risk Amid heightened concerns for British citizens and personnel, Defence Minister John Healey confirmed over the weekend that the U.K. terror threat level is currently under review. “When you get a regime like this lashing out in the Middle East indiscriminately and widely, hitting civilian as well as military targets, when you have some of its proxies capable of other actions on their behalf, then of course, our force protection in the region is at its highest,” said Healey. “Our alert and our vigilance in the U.K. is also high.” The current terror threat level for the U.K. is “substantial,” meaning that an attack is “likely.” Understanding the U.K. involvement in the war Following U.S.-Israeli strikes against multiple Iranian targets on Saturday, the British position on its involvement shifted amid Iran’s retaliatory hits across the Gulf, targeting British partners such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Starmer said Sunday that the U.K. remains uninvolved in direct strikes against Iran, but it is now allowing the U.S. to use its airbases.  Alongside Diego Garcia of the Chagos Islands, it’s thought the other base in question is the RAF station in Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. “The basis of our decision is the collective self-defense of longstanding friends and allies, and protecting British lives. That is in accordance with international law,” said Starmer. The government has military assets flying in the region to intercept drone attacks on countries “not previously involved in the conflict.” The British Ministry of Defence also confirmed a joint operation with Qatar, which successfully took out an Iranian drone heading towards Qatari territory, “ensuring the security of Qatar’s airspace and British interests in the region.” Healey described the situation as “serious and deteriorating” on Sunday, echoing Starmer’s concern that British personnel were present at an airbase in Bahrain which was targeted by Iran. “There is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act defensively, but in a very coordinated way,” he said.