Explosions have taken place at a RAF base in Cyprus after it was hit by a suspected Iranian drone. 

Strong blasts were heard at the British RAF Akrotiri base in Limassol at around midnight local time after a ‘security threat’ was declared. 

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday announced that family members of British servicemen were evacuated from the site in the wake of the strike ‘as a precautionary measure’.

The MoD added there was minimal damage to the base after the drone attack last night, and that operations were continuing as normal. 

The base, home to around 2,000 service personnel and their families, was seemingly targeted by Iran or its proxies.

The explosions came just an hour after Sir Keir Starmer granted the US permission to launch ‘defensive’ strikes on Iranian missile sites from UK bases. 

The Ministry of Defence said the incident last night was a ‘one-way attack drone’ which hit the base, which caused minimal damage and no casualties.  

A MoD spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘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.’

Flight trackers identified RAF jets being scrambled to protect the base and thousands of troops and their families were ordered to take cover.

Personnel at the base were said to have been warned of a potential threat and told to ‘return to your homes and stay inside until further notice’.

A ‘security threat’ was declared at British bases in Cyprus just before midnight, according to Cyprus Mail.

Personnel were told to ‘move away from windows and take cover behind or beneath substantial, solid furniture’, and to await further instruction.

Unconfirmed video footage showed a projectile – possibly a drone or an intercepted missile – crashing on the horizon near the base. 

The attack could draw Britain deeper into the conflict that Sir Keir has been desperate to avoid. 

Large explosion in Beirut were reported in the early hours of Monday morning.

The Israeli military said it had begun striking Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah across Lebanon following a rocket and drone attack against a military base in Haifa, in northern Israel.

Huge explosions in Tehran were also reported, with smoke rising from locations across the Iranian capital.

The UK did not take part in the strikes on Iran which killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But on Sunday British fighter jets downed an Iranian drone which was headed to Qatar. 

Sir Keir Starmer has now given the US permission to launch ‘defensive’ strikes on Iranian missile sites from UK bases. 

The Prime Minister, alongside France and Germany, threatened to join the war on Iran by taking defensive action to stop the ‘appalling’ missile and drone bombardments targeting allies in the Middle East.

The decision comes after a day of conversations between Sir Keir and regional leaders, including the kings of Bahrain and Jordan, the crown prince of Kuwait, the sultan of Oman and the president of Cyprus to discuss the security situation and the UK’s defensive actions.  

On Sunday night questions were being asked about the air defence capabilities at RAF Akrotiri which is used by the RAF to launch operations across the Middle East.

At least one RAF Typhoon jet was scrambled to patrol the airspace around the Mediterranean island.

RAF Akrotiri is home of the Cyprus Operations Support Unit which provides joint support to British Forces Cyprus and operations in the region to protect the UK’s strategic interests.

It is an extremely busy Permanent Joint Operating Base that supports ongoing operations in the region as well as support for the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.

The military base is used as a forward mounting base for overseas operations in the Middle East and for fast jet training.    

Sir Keir claimed the UK has learned lessons from ‘the mistakes of Iraq’ and he would only allow strikes for the ‘limited specific defensive purpose’ of defending British allies.

He said it is ‘my duty to protect British lives’ from Iranian ‘scorched earth strikes’ but ruled out taking part in pre-emptive strikes.

The PM said it ‘remains the case’ the UK is not involved in strikes on Iran and will ‘not join offensive action now’.

He claimed the decision was as a result of a ‘collective self-defence’ of allies and to protect British lives from Iran’s furious bombardment across the Middle East.

The PM said the US can use the bases for the ‘specific and limited defensive purpose’ of hitting missile launch sites or storage depots in Iran.

He said the move was in accordance with international law, and the government would publish a summary of its legal advice.

In a statement on Sunday evening, Sir Keir said: ‘Our partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them and it’s my duty to protect British lives.

‘We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes, but the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles.

‘The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.

‘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.

‘The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of long-standing friends and allies and protecting British lives – that is in accordance with international law and we are publishing a summary of our legal advice.’

Sir Keir’s comments followed a joint statement on Sunday night with France and Germany, which said they were ready to defend their interests in the region after the ‘indiscriminate and disproportionate’ missile attacks by Iran.

They said: ‘We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially fire missiles and drones at their source.

‘We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this.’

None of the three countries took part in the Israeli-US strikes on Saturday.

And the drone struck down by the RAF on its way to Qatar is thought to be the first taken down by a British fighter jet since the latest outbreak of conflict.

Sir Keir added: ‘I want to be very clear. We all remember the mistakes of Iraq. And we have learned those lessons. We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran… and we will not join offensive action now.’

But he said the UK is ‘supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region’.

He claims it is the ‘best way to eliminate the urgent threat… and prevent the situation spiralling further.’

The PM previously said British jets were ‘in the sky’ to help defend allies in the region as Iran seeks revenge for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Earlier on Sunday, Defence Secretary John Healey said there were ‘two missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus’.

He said: ‘We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act’.

The UK did not participate in the strikes against Iran but F-35B fighter jets have been taking part in defensive operations from Qatar and Cyprus.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘On 1 March 2026, a Royal Air Force Typhoon operating from Qatar as part of the joint UK-Qatar Typhoon Squadron, successfully took out an Iranian drone heading towards Qatari territory.

‘The Typhoon jet was conducting a defensive air patrol and used an air-to-air missile to shoot down the drone, ensuring the security of Qatar’s airspace and British interests in the region.

‘Our Armed Forces are playing a vital role to protect our people, our interests and our Allies.’ 

Earlier on Sunday, Defence Secretary John Healey repeatedly dodged questions on whether Britain supports Donald Trump’s decision to launch military strikes against Iran.

He refused six times in a TV interview to say if the UK backed the US and Israeli action – or if the Government considered the action to be legal.

US allies across the Middle East including Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi have been targeted by Iran with ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones.

The Iranian regime vowed to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’, with ‘force’ its enemies ‘have never experienced before’.

At least two drones have hit Dubai’s airport, the world-famous Burj Al Arab and Palm Jumeirah hotels were hit on Saturday, and further explosions echoed across the Emirates on Sunday.

In the Bahrain city of Manama, the Crowne Plaza hotel was damaged by a suicide drone, and Iranian missiles have also been hitting Tel Aviv – with at least ten people confirmed to have been killed in Israel. There has also been a death in Kuwait.

Senior regime figure Ali Larijani, who is expected to take over from the assassinated Ayatollah, led the calls to intensify revenge attacks on Israel and the West on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the government is planning to evacuate at least 94,000 Brits currently stuck in the Middle East as air spaces remain closed amid Iran’s suicide drone blitz.

In an unprecedented operation, the UK is hoping to support hundreds of thousands of British nationals in the Gulf as Iranian strikes rain down in the region, killing at least three civilians in Dubai.

The evacuation plan follows US and Israeli strikes on Iran early Saturday in what the two countries described as a ‘pre-emptive’ attack aimed at halting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Iran retaliated with missile attacks across the region, with Israel and Gulf states among the reported targets.

At least ten people have been killed in Israel by the Iranian strikes. Nine people were killed in a missile strike on the northern town of Beit Shemesh.

One person was killed and seven injured in an attack on Abu Dhabi’s Zayed airport, while thick black smoke has been seen rising from the Erbil Airport in Iraq. One person was also killed in Kuwait.