The UK’s Ministry of Defence has ruled out Iran as the source of the drone that struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday night, though it said the unmanned aircraft bore the hallmarks of Tehran’s signature Shahed design — the low-cost drones Russia has used extensively against Ukraine, as SkyNews reports.
Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters are set to deploy to Cyprus within days to bolster air defences at the base, the ministry said.
The strike comes amid an ongoing Iranian missile campaign targeting locations across the Middle East and Mediterranean, launched in retaliation for the US-Israeli attack.
The British base at Akrotiri remains on high alert as the United Kingdom accelerates the reinforcement of its forces in the region following the recent drone strike.
The arrival on Tuesday night of a large military transport aircraft, a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, marked what officials describe as a new phase in strengthening the deterrent capabilities of British forces in the eastern Mediterranean.
- Agencies
