London, Mar 2 (PTI) A British Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian one-way attack drone during the ongoing US and Israeli strikes launched on Tehran over the weekend, confirmed by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said RAF Akrotiri sustained “minimal damage” on Sunday at around midnight local time, with no casualties reported.
It came hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s video statement announcing the UK’s decision to allow the United States permission to use British bases for “limited defensive” operations to protect British lives and interests in West Asia.
“Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests,” an MoD spokesperson said.
Family members at the base will be moved to alternative accommodation as a precautionary measure under a “temporary dispersal notice” for the British military base.
“All other locations, workplaces, businesses and facilities will remain open as normal and there are no restrictions in place,” the MoD said.
The attack came in the wake of Starmer’s updated statement on the conflict in the region, which led to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni.
“Our partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them, and it is my duty to protect British lives. We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes,” Starmer said from 10 Downing Street.
“But the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source – in their storage depots or the launchers which used to fire the missiles. The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.
“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 said.
Setting out the legal basis in international law of the decision alongside the announcement, the UK PM stressed Britain is “not joining the strikes” and the latest move was about “collective self-defence”.
“I want to be very clear: we all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. We were 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.
According to the BBC, the US is likely to use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, south-west England, and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for strikes on Iranian missile sites.
Meanwhile, the UK is mounting an operation to support around 200,000 British nationals in the Gulf caught up in the strikes. Officials are said to be formulating potential plans to evacuate them, largely holidaymakers, should the airspace in the region remain closed for longer.
Starmer addressed the issue in his address: “We have at least 200,000 British citizens in the region – residents, families on holiday, and those in transit. I ask all our people in the region to please register your presence and follow Foreign Office travel advice.
“I know this is a deeply worrying time and we will continue to do all we can to support you.” The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has asked British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, the Palestinian territories, Qatar and UAE to register their presence to receive updates. PTI AK AMS
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