Two unmanned aerial vehicles heading toward the British Bases in Akrotiri were intercepted in time, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said at midday on Monday.
The British Bases in Akrotiri were placed on full alert shortly after midnight following an explosion on the runway, reportedly caused by the fall of a military drone.
Residents of the Akrotiri municipal district left their homes, with some spending the night at the Limassol State Exhibition Centre, following instructions from the President of the Republic.
Meanwhile, the Military Commander of the British Bases informed local communities that, according to their assessment, the threat to eastern Cyprus remains low.
In a briefing to the media, the Government Spokesperson clarified that Cyprus was never a target and that all attacks were directed at the British Bases in Akrotiri. He stated that there is no information indicating the launch of ballistic missiles towards Cyprus and made clear that the Andreas Papandreou Air Base was not targeted at any point.
Regarding the measures taken earlier at Paphos Airport, Konstantinos Letymbiotis explained that these were implemented in response to the two drones heading towards the Base in Akrotiri.
Earlier today:
Authorities at the British Bases were on high alert in the early hours of Monday morning, following the impact of an unidentified object within the fenced military area at Akrotiri, Limassol.
According to the same sources, fighter jets were heard flying over the area at around midnight. An alarm was also raised with the Cypriot authorities, who remain on heightened alert alongside officials from the British Bases amid concerns over a possible further strike.
Two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets of the Royal Air Force, along with an Airbus Voyager KC2 refuelling aircraft, were reportedly scrambled from RAF Akrotiri following reports that an Iranian drone or missile struck the base.
#RAF Royal Air Force - Middle East Activity
— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) March 1, 2026
1 March - 2240z
Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 2x#43C782 ZK359 - LEROY 11#43C798 ZK370 - LEROY 12
At least two Typhoon FGR.4 appears to have been scrambled after reports of drone activity at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.@MATA_osint… https://t.co/8Sh0bMGCO5 pic.twitter.com/j3nuA2s7sl
There have been no reports of injuries.
The area surrounding the British Bases has been sealed off, with roads closed to the public as a precautionary measure.
Residents in the vicinity received an emergency message warning of an ongoing security threat. The alert read:
“There is an ongoing security threat. You are requested to return to your homes and remain indoors until further official notice. Stay away from windows and take cover behind or under heavy, solid furniture. Please await further instructions.”
No evacuation order has been issued. However, Civil Defence services remain on standby as the situation continues to be monitored.
The development came hours after the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave the US permission to launch 'defensive' strikes on Iranian missile sites from UK bases.
On Sunday, the UK's Defence Minister John Healey said that two missiles from Iran were fired in the direction of Cyprus. "We are pretty sure they weren't targeted at our bases," he told Sky News.
His statements prompted a series of denials in Cyprus, where government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis moved to dismiss the claims as false, saying there was no indication of a threat to Cyprus.
Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas also followed suit, ardently denying that any missiles had been fired toward Cyprus. At around 1:30pm Cyprus time, President Nikos Christodoulides posted on X that he had spoken to Starmer, and claimed the PM "confirmed clearly and unequivocally that Cyprus was not a target."