The United Kingdom is “taking every measure” to protect Cyprus, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday, days after the British air force base at Akrotiri was hit by an Iranian-made drone.
Speaking at a press conference at his official residence in London, Starmer said the UK government is taking all necessary steps to protect Cyprus and British military facilities on the island.
“I want to be really clear to everybody in Cyprus that we’re taking every measure that is needed to protect them, to protect the airbase, along with the other places in the region,” he said.
He added that protective measures are already in place and have long existed given the UK’s longstanding military presence on the island.
“There are protective measures in place, and they have always been in place, because we have obviously had an airbase there for a very long time,” he said.
Military assets and helicopter deployment
Starmer also announced that two AW159 Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities are expected to arrive in Cyprus on Friday.
“Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities are arriving in Cyprus tomorrow,” he said.
The deployment was first announced on Tuesday together with the planned dispatch of the HMS Dragon Type 45 destroyer.
The warship is expected to depart from Portsmouth next week, with a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence saying the military is “working as fast as possible” to prepare the vessel for deployment.
UK defensive readiness in the region
Starmer also said the United Kingdom had taken precautionary steps before the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.
“Throughout January, we were moving defensive assets to Cyprus and Qatar,” he said.
According to the British prime minister, these assets included fighter jets, air defence missiles, advanced radar systems and counter-drone capabilities. The aim, he said, was to ensure a heightened state of readiness before any conflict began.
“When the strikes began on Saturday, we immediately put those jets into the sky on a mission to protect our people and our allies in the region,” Starmer said.
He added that the aircraft have flown missions over Cyprus and the wider region and have intercepted multiple drones, including at least one that was heading toward a base hosting British military personnel.
Operations across the wider region
Starmer said British fighter jets continued operations in the region.
“They were in the sky again last night, over Jordan, Qatar, and other partners, refuelling in the air to prolong their mission,” he said.
He also noted that military supply chains are continuously replenishing aircraft and missile stocks.
British fighter jets were likely launched from Cyprus when they intercepted drones in Jordanian airspace earlier this week. The British Ministry of Defence announced that F-35 aircraft shot down unmanned aerial systems “in defence of Jordan”.
Six F-35 fighter jets have been stationed in Cyprus since last month after being deployed from the Royal Air Force base in Marham, Norfolk, as part of the movement of defensive assets to the island ahead of potential regional escalation.