‘Shahed-type drone’ that hit British air base in Cyprus was not launched from Iran: UK Defence Minry | World News
1 min readMar 5, 2026 08:47 AM The UK Minry of Defence has stated that “Shahed-type drone” that targeted British Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in Cyprus was not launched from Iran.
The Iranian-made drone had hit a runway of air base, which is reportedly the first attack on the military facility in Cyprus since 1986.
Update on UK operations in the Middle East: 04 March 2026 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LkE1D4Fuek
— Minry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 4, 2026
UK officials said that there were no injuries and “minimal” damage but the Iranian made drone strike has brought the conflict onto European soil.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Minry of Defence said: “The Minry of Defence can confirm that a Shahed-like drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri at midnight on 2nd March was not launched from Iran. In the last 24 hours, the UK has resupplied air defence systemns to British and allied bases across the reigion– including UK-built air defence missiles.”
It added that “Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters — armed with Martlet missiles capable of taking out areial threats — will arrive in Cyprus in the coming days”.
