LAST UPDATE | 2 Mar

A ROYAL AIR Force airfield has been hit by a drone as British prime minister Keir Starmer gave the US permission to launch military strikes against Iran from British bases.

Officials said RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was continuing to operate as normal despite the attack but family members of personnel had been moved away from the base as a precaution.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The safety of our personnel and their families is our absolute priority.

“As a precautionary measure, we are moving family members who live at RAF Akrotiri to alternative accommodation nearby on the island of Cyprus.

“Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal, protecting the safety of Britain and our interests.”

The attack makes Cyprus the latest country to feel the repercussions of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which was launched on Saturday.

There were no casualties in the incident at the RAF Akrotiri base near Limassol in the early hours of this morning, but the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas Administration said “a temporary dispersal” was being planned for non-essential personnel.

Cyprus’ president Nikos Christodoulides has since confirmed that the attack involved an Iranian drone.

“A Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the military facilities of the British bases in Akrotiri, causing minor material damage,” he said.

A pair of Puma helicopters based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus Joe Giddens / Archive/PA Joe Giddens / Archive/PA / Archive/PA

It is not yet clear whether the base was hit with a drone fired directly from Iran or from Tehran-backed proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The attack struck Akrotiri hours after Starmer announced that American forces would be allowed to use British bases to strike Iranian missile sites in response to the barrage launched by Tehran against countries across the Middle East.

The drone is believed to have been launched before Starmer announced he had allowed US forces to use British bases rather than in retaliation to the policy shift.

Officials said the damage inflicted on Akrotiri by the kamikaze drone was “minimal” and there were no casualties.

Late on Sunday, the prime minister said he had agreed to a US request to use British bases to protect UK nationals and allies in the region, accusing Iran of pursuing a “scorched earth strategy”.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking at 10 Downing Street last Saturday Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Starmer said British forces would not be directly involved in the strikes, and the bases would only be used for the “specific and limited defensive purpose” of targeting missile storage depots and launchers being used to attack Iran’s neighbours.

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He said: “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.”

It is not clear which bases will be involved, but Donald Trump has previously indicated Diego Garcia – one of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean – and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire could be used to attack Iran.

Starmer’s decision followed a day of conversations with regional leaders, during which it is understood they asked the UK to do more to protect them from Iranian missiles.

The prime minister insisted the decision was fully in line with international law, and the government has published a summary of its legal position setting out that it is acting in “collective self-defence”.

The UK will also continue to carry out the defensive operations that have already seen British forces shoot down Iranian drones threatening northern Iraq and Qatar.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski condemned the decision, saying Starmer had jumped into “yet another Middle East illegal war”, while the Liberal Democrats demanded MPs be given a say on allowing the US to use British bases.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the decision was “better late than never” and described Starmer as “a follower, not a leader”.

There was no British involvement in the initial wave of strikes carried out by the US and Israel which targeted Iranian defences and senior personnel, resulting in the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said it was “not in the UK’s interests” to support those attacks but told Times Radio it was right to get involved now to protect Britons.