According to Cypriot officials, an Iranian-made Shahed drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on March 1, with two more drones shot down later, launched from Beirut, Lebanon. -Israeli war with Iran entered its seventh day with little sign of slowing down, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a press conference to address the crisis. England cricketer Jonny Bairstow and his family are stranded in Dubai due to missile and drone attacks by Iran on the United Arab Emirates, which Iran launched in retaliation for strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Cyprus is experiencing increased tension due to the Middle East conflict, with incidents including interceptions of suspicious aerial targets in Nicosia FIR, Greek F-16 scrambles, and the docking of two Greek frigates in Limassol. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis stated that Greek F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Cyprus due to information about a possible suspicious object near Lebanese airspace, but no object was detected. Cyprus and Lebanon discussed the incident, with positive approaches from Germany and Italy regarding sending forces to the area.
European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, expressed solidarity with Cyprus, calling the attacks an attack on Europe and deploying military support. Cyprus thanked Greece for military support, including F-16s and frigates. Italy announced it would send a frigate to Cyprus, following Greece and France.
The UK deployed additional air defence personnel, Wildcat helicopters, and Typhoon jets to Cyprus and Qatar, with Defence Secretary John Healey not ruling out UK aircraft involvement in strikes on Iran but emphasizing defensive actions. The British Defence Secretary arrived in Cyprus on Thursday morning (05/03) and is expected to meet with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to convey a message of support. However, the UK faced criticism for delayed military response, with HMS Dragon not expected to arrive in Cyprus until next week or later, while other European nations (France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Netherlands) already deployed assets.
The UK plans to deploy HMS Dragon, but it is delayed. The Cypriot High Commissioner to the UK emphasized coordination with Britain to avoid decisions affecting Cyprus. Flight disruptions occurred, with reports of airspace closures or restrictions, including an Aegean flight returning to Athens.
In contrast, the Cypriot government spokesperson clarified that the airspace was never fully closed, but two flights were asked to hold briefly. Travel to Cyprus was disrupted, with airlines cancelling flights and the FCDO warning of potential terrorist attacks and regional escalation, though no travel restrictions were in place. S.
State Department raised its travel advisory for Cyprus to Level 3, citing security concerns. Cyprus's civil shelters were found inadequate, with about 200 of 2,500 unusable, and the EU has limited authority to address this, offering only emergency response coordination through mechanisms like rescEU. A test alert message was scheduled for Cypriot citizens.
Iran's Shahed drones have a range of 2,500km and could threaten parts of Europe, including Moldova, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Athens, and Bucharest, with experts warning of smaller, targeted strikes on infrastructure. S. actions, but provided no additional details on timing or targets.
The UK government has advised British nationals in the UAE to shelter in place, and Bairstow has appealed to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for help. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated the government is working on options to get people home safely. The England and Wales Cricket Board cancelled and delayed matches and trips due to safety concerns.