UK defence minister heads to Cyprus after drone strike

Published March 5, 2026 Updated March 5, 2026 02:19pm

Britain’s defence minister John Healey is headed to Cyprus, a defence source told AFP, after a drone strike on a UK air base on the Mediterranean island, reports AFP.

Healey was due to arrive later Thursday, the source said.

The visit comes after the runway of the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Akrotiri came under attack by an Iranian-made unmanned drone on Monday.

Starmer said Tuesday the UK was sending “helicopters with counter drone capabilities” and a warship, HMS Dragon, to Cyprus as Britain continued “defensive operations” in the region.

HMS Dragon is one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 air defence destroyers.

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