Cyprus slams UK after Akrotiri drone strike forced locals to flee

Politico Europe · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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News Politics The government in Nicosia will make a formal diplomatic complaint and didn’t rule out renegotiating the status of British bases in Cyprus. Akrotiri, located on a peninsula on the southern tip of Cyprus, southwest of the coastal city of Limassol, is one of the two bases Britain has maintained in its former colony since independence in 1960. | Alexis Mitas/Getty Images March 2, 2026 7:05 pm CET Cyprus on Monday suggested that poor communication by the U.K. government led to the drone attack on the British airbase in Akrotiri, and didn't rule out renegotiating the use of the base. The government in Nicosia argued that a perceived lack of clarity regarding the use of British bases on the island, which the U.K. has maintained since abandoning colonial control of Cyprus, effectively dragged the island into the unfolding crisis in the Middle East. “This is something that we must say we view with dissatisfaction,” government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told reporters in a briefing. He said that despite assurances to the Cypriot government, “there was no clear clarification that the British bases in Cyprus would under no circumstances be used for any purpose other than humanitarian reasons in Sunday’s statement by the U.K. Prime Minister.” A Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle hit Britain’s Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus just after midnight Monday, while more drone strikes targeting the base were successfully intercepted during the day. While the source of the drone strike is so far unconfirmed, with local media saying it probably came from Lebanon, a senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened intensified missile strikes on Cyprus, alleging an increased U.S. military presence on the island. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday: "Our bases in Cyprus are not being used by U.S. bombers ... The security of our friends and partners in Cyprus is of critical importance. And I want to be clear, the strike on Akrotiri in Cyprus was not in response to any decision we’ve taken. In our assessment the drone was launched prior to our announcement.” Locals in Akrotiri and the nearby villages woke up to sirens blaring during the night and fled the area, with some seeking refuge in Limassol or at Cypriot army barracks. Local media described the confusion of not knowing whether to stay or leave, fearing for their own and their children's safety. The area will remain evacuated on Monday, and there will be a new assessment of the situation on Tuesday. “All necessary steps will be taken to communicate our dissatisfaction, both with the way this message was communicated and the fact that yesterday there was no timely warning to citizens of Cyprus living near the Akrotiri bases,” Letymbiotis noted, adding that Cyprus will make a formal diplomatic complaint on Monday. Asked whether Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, will seek to renegotiate the status of the bases, Letymbiotis said “in this context, we are not ruling anything out.” It’s the first time one of the U.K. bases on Cyprus has been hit since a rocket attack by Libyan ⁠militants in 1986. While the bases are regarded as British sovereign territory, Cyprus is an EU member, and currently holds the bloc’s rotating presidency. Akrotiri, located on a peninsula on the southern tip of Cyprus, southwest of the coastal city of Limassol, is one of the two bases 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 U.K. embassy in Athens did not immediately respond to a request for comment.