There has been an explosion caused by Iranian drone at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Posts from multiple , independent open source accounts suggested a possible drone strike, with one stating there were “reports of an impact at British Akrotiri Air Force base in Limassol, Cyprus,” while another referenced “early reports now coming in of an explosion at the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus amidst reports of a possible drone strike by Iran.”
Separately, local outlet Cyprus Mail reported previously that a “security threat” was declared at the British. According to the publication, personnel were instructed to “return to your homes and stay inside until further notice” and to “move away from windows and take cover behind or beneath substantial, solid furniture” while awaiting further guidance.
At the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation of any strike or explosion at the base, we’re currently reviewing footage but have been so far unable to verify the authenticity of the footage so have chosen not to present it here.
RAF Akrotiri is located within the UK’s Western Sovereign Base Area on the southern coast of Cyprus and serves as a key hub for British air operations in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.
An MOD spokesperson said:
“Our Armed Forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time. Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people. This is a live situation and further information will be provided in due course.”
We understand that there were no casualties.
RAF Akrotiri is part of the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus and plays a key role in British air operations across the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. The UK routinely reviews force protection measures at its overseas bases.
In recent weeks, additional defensive capabilities have been moved to Cyprus as part of wider efforts to support regional security and stability. These are understood to focus on detecting and defeating airborne threats and are believed to include radar systems, counter-drone systems, F-35 jets and ground-based air defence assets.
Sky Sabre needs to be deployed to Akrotiri ASAP.
USN Ford CSG is nearby with A.B’s BMD capability.
Ford’s job is not to defend your airbase
Nope, It’s to carry out Trumps Orders !
Nobel Peace Prize Winner in the making 😁🏌️♂️🏌️♂️🏌️♂️
(anyone know what’s happening with the Epstein case ? It’s all gone very quiet)
The f****** pedophile has been dead for 7 years. Ask Prince Andrew how it’s been going?
Akrotiri is inside the Article 5 parameters as far as I can tell so it sort of is the job of any NATO forces in the vicinity to help…
Indeed. I understood that it’s role is more a goalkeeper for Israel, where the greatest threats are aimed, while the other USN carriers have the offensive side further forward.
I’m usually fairly balanced, but if true, these are major failings by the government. A destroyer needs to be sent, and Sky Sabre needs to be flown in to cover the base until the destroyer arrives.
Starmer made the right call in not participating in the initial strikes. He made the wrong call in believing that made them immune to Iranian retaliation. There should have been preparation.
Starmer loves Islam, no defense for raf personal just or go home or get under the table is fucking crazy.
More bot/troll bs. As if we don’t have enough to wade our way through, we really don’t need manipulations of this sort stirring up ignorant bigotry.
This bot was born in suffolk the late 70s and can remember what this country was… Most off the bases that I remember have been closed and we had more of everything… So bigotry… Don’t follow you mate.
Totally agree Leh, but as we know with Starmer it’s far more talk with him than action, hardly the man of the moment is he, perhaps he’s waiting for the DIP before making a decision.
I agree we should send a destroyer at least as far as Cyprus. Is Lancaster still useable in an emergency? Is Richmond? We have no idea how long this will last of how far we might be dragged in. I’d hope the MOD was readying every reasonable contingency.
Indeed I fear we will be dragged in a lot further as will others. What’s the bet Trump will use ‘war’ to delay or cancel the mid terms, he’s an increasingly desperate man despite the big talk. Great idea sitting on defence spending Keir.
You really have no clue at all other than hatred and bigotry. You’re defenseless and you’re not really a player at all. So it’s time to just shush.. . World affairs move on and you’re really not a player at all
Addressing a person as a country.. what master are you belong to?
If this was an Iranian attack The UK now must strike Iranian targets no iffs no buts.. it should be a clear offence action hitting the Iranian military.. preferably with storm shadow.
The UK should now be in discussion to enact article 5.
This would be the time to show an attack on a NATO nation with the article 6 area will get an article 5 response.. Russia is watching the UK and Europe.. sadly it’s now our war as well.
Is there a problem though in that the UK had just given permission for the US to use British bases for defensive strikes on Iran? Or that British Typhoons were already shooting down Iranian munitions?
I can see plenty of NATO members choosing to stay out of this by suggesting the UK was already involved militarily.
The French and the Germans seem onboard though, for what it’s worth. I can imagine the Greeks and Turks getting involved too.
Hi Leh, yep that is why I said Russia is watching..
Everyone knows the true weekness of any alliance is the Gray. If an alliance starts playing politics and looking for Grey it’s essentially done for as a deterrent.
Personally I think this was one of the reasons Putin used nerve gas in Salisbury and then had the bottle thrown in the waste management system ( a system which should have smashed the bottle and caused mass casualty event)… he was testing the limits of gray.
I think if the UK and Europe cast this off as “ just the mad mullahs thrashing at everyone” or well the UK was helping defend allies.. then it puts an exclusion in.. it creates Gray that can be exploited..
Say the UK and France end up doing air policing in a post war Ukraine and shoot down a Russian drone in a defensive move to protect Ukrainian assets does that mean in the gray Russian could attack France or UK airbases without a NATO response…
To be honest this is why I think NATO is dead, it cannot function against the gray and modern warfare ( especially Chinese and Russian) is all about being in the gray.
The only way NATO can actually survive as a meaningful deterrent is if it simply says “ there is no Gray” an attack on one is an attack on all and will be responded to without mercy or moral judgment.
As soon as you get a nation like the UK not pushing the article 5 button for fear of the gray or if the button is pushed fearing it will be challenged then NATO is not only worthless it’s actually dangerous as it provides a sense of false security.. and in my business ) emergency response and medicine) false security as in meany we know thinking you were in control when you were not was always recognised as the state most likely to get people hurt and killed.
I fear this will not be even acknowledged or recognised by the political classes who don’t believe escalation is a deterrent ( where as China and Russia do).
I wonder if there’s a Bay to send. We always seem to want to use the Navy to evacuate civilians rather than actually attack.
Only send a Bay if a destroyer goes with it.
Do we have any left?
Duncan is currently operational, but that’s it.
Personally I think European NATO needs to pull in a shed load of resources and then send the French carrier down in a big ass battle group.
Europe now needs to show its teeth and show it has meaning in the Middle East.. the Middle East is the most important strategic region to Europe and it’s next door.. we now need to turn up hugely.
Well let’s get a clearer understanding of what, if anything has happened here before we go all John Wayne. Getting deeply involved in a war with Iran when we need to be rearming to resist potential Russian threats is hardly something to be taken lightly after all. History won’t be kind if we get this wrong.
You have no ability to go. John Wayne spy in the sky… Just be quiet…
No I think now is the time, way past the time infact that Europe needs to show a geostrategic spine..
This is a test
1) NATO does it actually have any meaning will European nations act with extreme aggression when attacked.. not discus it and decide have we been attacked enough to x or y.. Iran fired two ballistic missiles towards Cyprus and our bases.. everyone then went but it could have been anyone in the med it was fired at ( completely ignoring the fact everyone in the Med is NATO and an attack in the Med covers NATO.. it’s now hit our bases with a drone.. this is an Article 5 no if no buts.
We need an article five.. now I’m not talking about invasion or mass attack by European NATO but making it clear that article 5 is enacted by:
1) the UK undertaking proportional offensive attack on Iranian military targets. With other NATO nations providing support.
2) the French carrier group being placed in the south eastern Mediterranean.
3) other European NATO forces being moved to Turkey, Cyprus and the Middle East..
With every NATO nation saying it was an attack on one and is an attack on all….
Just what is needed to be drawn into another illegal war, probably go just as well as the last one!
Could go a lot worse.
What’s the difference between a legal way and an illegal war? It’s only illegal if you lose.
False alarm, It was just a Black Backed Gull taking a dump.
You need to actually deal in reality. This is what’s going on in the world. Not your anti-trump anti-American b*******.
Triggered.
Some of Ray’s comments suggest that English isn’t theyr primary language..
What’s going on in the world Ray, is that Benjamin Netanyahu is clinging on to his job by pandering to a handful of fanatical orthodox Jews who inhabit a 3000 year old fantasy world and are prepared to kill for it. If forceable displacement of West Bank Palestinians from their homes were stopped Israel would be on much stronger moral ground to get support at the UN for their case that Iran should not develop nuclear weapons. Netanyahu is winding the US around his little finger and Trump doesn’t have the wit or courage to tell him where he gets off.
No shorad and basically no amphibious capability left. Guess what we need now? Clearly the Iranians don’t get the memo the UK can’t be attacked until the 2030s
Maybe we should sent them another email…and this time put a read receipt on it. That way we should be OK.
Seems like this is the Islamic Republic survival strategy, widening the conflict
I thought that too. Drag the whole of the M East in. Hopefully the Gulf states show restraint. But, who are we, IF we were just attacked and we are sitting on our hands in response.
Otherwise, on this occasion I agree with Starmer, we have had enough of following the US into their wars without any provocation to us.
Social media is alive with Iran experts! The entirely predictable lack of a navy ships, GBAD, critical infrastructure protection leaves Akrotiri personnel being told to find some ‘solid furniture’ to hide behind!
The sound of chickens coming home to roost is deafening.
Any spare fishing nets? They can be draped over the aircraft gazebos and all will be well and we shall win the war! Ballistic missile threat is easily dealt with, find a fire bucket full of sand and shove your head into it. It is nothing sort of treason that this base in indefensible. Que sera sera.
The way I see it is that HMG has allowed US forces access to its bases thus they have become legitimate targets. Now this raises further questions as to why they were not prepared to deal with incoming, bar the standard QRAs etc. is there adequate AD?
Will the MOD and HMG wake up to the drone threat? 4 years of full scale war in Ukraine and still nobody seems to be taking it seriously outside of private defence companies.
On a side note this war is terrible news for petrol prices since this government has abandoned north sea oil, all in all we should be better prepared.
If it is confirmed that there was indeed a strike last night, it is pure luck that it did not hit the sun shade hangers in the S East corner of the station. No HAS in site, not even in the Cold War were any built here, which I mentioned to someone earlier surprised me.
They must surely know, that Island has surveillance systems sprouting out of it from several places, including an OTHR. Most of them British facilities.