Cyprus attacks UK after drone attack in Akrotiri forces locals to flee

Cyprus on Monday said poor communication from the British government led to the drone attack on Britain’s Akrotiri airbase and did not rule out renegotiating the use of the base.

The government in Nicosia has argued that the perceived lack of clarity regarding the use of British bases on the island, which the United Kingdom has maintained since relinquishing colonial control of Cyprus, has effectively dragged the island into the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

“This is something we have to say that we see with dissatisfaction,” government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told reporters at a briefing. He said that despite assurances to the Cypriot government, “there was no clear clarification that British bases in Cyprus would under no circumstances be used for any other than humanitarian purposes in the British Prime Minister’s statement on Sunday.”

EFCC Charges FSDH Bank Officials Over $306,667, 50,250 Euro Fraud

A Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle struck the British Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, shortly after midnight on Monday, while other drone strikes targeting the base were successfully intercepted throughout the day.

While the source of the drone attack is not yet confirmed, with local media saying it likely came from Lebanon, a senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said threatened have stepped up missile attacks on Cyprus, advocating a greater US military presence on the island.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday: “Our bases in Cyprus are not being used by US bombers… The safety of our friends and partners in Cyprus is of paramount importance. And I want to be clear, the attack on Akrotiri in Cyprus was not in response to any decision we have made. In our assessment the drone was launched before our announcement.”

Residents of Akrotiri and nearby villages woke up to the sound of sirens during the night and fled the area, some seeking refuge in Limassol or Cypriot army barracks. Local media described the confusion of not knowing whether to stay or leave, fearing for their safety and that of their children. The area will remain evacuated on Monday and there will be a new assessment of the situation on Tuesday.

“All necessary measures will be taken to communicate our dissatisfaction, both with the way this message was communicated and with the fact that yesterday there was no timely warning to the citizens of Cyprus living near the Akrotiri bases,” Letymbiotis noted, adding that Cyprus will file a formal diplomatic complaint on Monday.

Asked whether Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, would seek to renegotiate the status of the bases, Letymbiotis said that “in this context, we do not rule anything out.”

it is the first time one of the British bases in Cyprus has been hit by a missile attack by Libyan militants since 1986. Although the bases are considered British sovereign territory, Cyprus is a member of the EU and currently holds the rotating presidency of the bloc.

Akrotiri, located on a peninsula on the southern tip of Cyprus, southwest of the coastal city of Limassol, is one of two bases that Britain has maintained in its former colony since independence in 1960. It has been used in the past for military operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

The British embassy in Athens did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Related