Britain faces increasing pressure to withdraw its military bases from Cyprus following an unprecedented drone attack on RAF Akrotiri. Protesters in Nicosia chanted 'out with the bases of death' during a march to the colonial-era presidential palace on Saturday, expressing fears that the Mediterranean nation could be drawn into the wider Iran conflict.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos told the Guardian that the Iranian-made drone which struck the airbase had been launched from Lebanon. The attack occurred late Sunday, and within 12 hours two other combat drones were intercepted off the island's coast. Kombos confirmed the drones' provenance for the first time, stating that 'we have to be looking towards the Lebanese front'.
The bases, established under the 1960 independence deal, are seen by many Cypriots as a threat to security. 'They are a danger to our security and should never have been here in the first place,' said protester Mathaios Stavrinides. Cypriot officials claim they had repeatedly warned London about the potential for attack, but those warnings went unheeded.
RAF Akrotiri is the UK's main forward-mounting post for Middle East operations and remains Britain's most important territory retained in Cyprus. The UK has since deployed additional air defence systems, including Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters and F-35 fighter jets, but the destroyer HMS Dragon is not expected until the week after next.
Kombos said defence plans now take a 'whole-of-Cyprus approach' and that the government would continue to press for NATO membership, despite Turkish opposition. He emphasised the need to improve cooperation with the UK to address security threats.
