Cyprus criticises UK response to drone strikes ahead of Healey visit

The Cypriot government has criticised the UK's response to drone attacks against an RAF base on the island ahead of a visit by Defence Secretary John Healey later.

Cypriot High Commissioner to the UK Dr Kyriacos Kouros told BBC Newsnight Cypriots were "disappointed" about the standard of information sharing with residents after RAF Akrotiri was hit overnight on Sunday and further drones were intercepted.

The attacks came days after the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran on Saturday morning which have led to an Iranian response across the Middle East.

Home Office Minister Alex Norris said the UK was "resolute" in protecting the nation's interests and that "significant" time had been spent building defensive systems in the eastern Mediterranean.

RAF Akrotiri was hit by a strike over the weekend which caused "minimal damage" and did not result in any casualties, Healey confirmed earlier this week.

Further drones headed towards the base were intercepted and the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) temporarily moved family members from the base to alternative accommodation.

Asked by Newsnight whether people in Cyprus felt protected by the UK, Kouros said: "Let's say the people are disappointed, the people are scared, the people could expect more."

He added he would "thank [Starmer] for paying attention to our worries and I'd love to see more".

Norris told BBC Breakfast on Thursday that defensive systems set up in the eastern Mediterranean have had a "really significant impact in recent days".

The UK has announced that British warship HMS Dragon - which has air defence capabilities - will be deployed to Cyprus, although it is not due to sail until next week.

"We are absolutely resolute in protecting the nation's interests – and that's what we're doing and we're working of course with our partners of which Cyprus is obviously a really close one," Norris said.

Some have questioned why the UK did not send a ship to the region sooner, given the build up of US military in the region and President Donald Trump's public threats to attack Iran. The Royal Navy has no major warship in the Mediterranean region.

The MoD said HMS Dragon would reinforce "RAF Typhoons, F-35B jets, ground-based counter-drone teams, radar systems, and Voyager refuelling aircraft already deployed".

Meanwhile, the first UK government-chartered flight to carry British nationals out of the Middle East has not taken off having been due to leave on Wednesday evening, with the Foreign Office citing technical issues.

Thousands of flights have been grounded across the region in recent days as the attacks continue.