Drone strike sparks calls to end British bases in Cyprus
A drone strike on a British air base in Cyprus has reignited political debate over the United Kingdom’s military presence on the Mediterranean island, with some Cypriot officials and commentators calling for a review of the decades-old arrangement.
The drone struck RAF Akrotiri, one of Britain’s two sovereign military bases on the island, earlier this week. Authorities said the attack caused limited damage and no injuries, but it triggered heightened security and temporary evacuations in nearby civilian areas, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Security officials believe the drone may have been launched by Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, amid escalating regional tensions linked to the broader Middle East conflict.
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Britain maintains two sovereign military territories in Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which remained under British control when Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960.
The bases cover roughly 99 square miles and host around 7,000 military personnel and their families, along with thousands of Cypriot civilians living nearby. They have long served as key staging points for British operations across the Middle East.
However, the drone strike has renewed concerns among Cypriots that the island could become entangled in wider regional conflicts.
A prominent Cypriot newspaper columnist argued that the bases now pose a security risk to the country, calling for their status to be reconsidered.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said it was too early to rule out any options regarding the bases, though he stressed that decisions of such magnitude should not be made during a crisis.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos echoed that cautious tone, saying any evaluation would need to be handled carefully and deliberately.
Tensions also rose after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to publicly rule out the potential use of the bases in a possible U.S. or Israeli campaign against Iran. Cypriot officials later expressed irritation over the remarks.
In response, Britain sent Defence Secretary John Healey to Cyprus for talks aimed at easing tensions.
Some Cypriot legal experts say the arrangements governing the bases — remnants of the colonial era — should be reassessed under international law.
They point to Britain’s recent decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after international legal challenges, arguing it could set a precedent for reviewing the Cyprus agreements.
For now, however, London insists the sovereign base areas remain fully legal under international law, and there are no clear signs that the United Kingdom intends to reconsider their status.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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