Two unmanned aircraft heading toward the UK’s sovereign base areas in Cyprus were intercepted on March 2, 2026, as authorities on the island responded to a drone alert that also triggered an evacuation at Paphos Airport and prompted Greece to announce additional military deployments to Cyprus.
Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the drones were aimed at the British bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia and were destroyed before reaching them, according to local reporting and regional media citing his statement.
New alert around RAF Akrotiri after overnight strike
The interceptions came hours after reports that RAF Akrotiri, Britain’s main air hub in Cyprus, had been hit overnight by a one-way drone, causing limited damage and no casualties. Britain’s Ministry of Defence said it had increased force protection measures at the base.
Cypriot outlet O Phileléftheros reported that sirens sounded at the British base later on March 2, 2026, with Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 Lightning II aircraft taking off in response to a new alert.
💢Δύο μη επανδρωμένα αεροχήματα που κατευθύνονταν προς τις Βρετανικές Βάσεις στο Ακρωτήρι αντιμετωπίστηκαν εγκαίρως, δήλωσε ο Κυβερνητικός Εκπρόσωπος, Κωνσταντίνος Λετυμπιώτης.
— philenews.com (@philenewscy) March 2, 2026
Νωρίτερα, λίγο μετά το μεσημέρι της Δευτέρας, ήχησαν σειρήνες στην περιοχή, ενώ σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες… pic.twitter.com/9UcVArEHwI
Greece to send frigates and F-16s to Cyprus
Greece will dispatch two frigates and two F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced.
“Following the unprovoked attacks on the territory of Cyprus, Greece will… contribute in every possible way to the defense of the Republic of Cyprus in order to address the threats and illegal actions taking place on its territory,” Dendias said, as quoted by Ekathimerini.
Paphos Airport evacuated after “suspicious object” detected
Separately, a passenger terminal at Paphos Airport in western Cyprus was evacuated after a suspicious object was detected on radar, the Cyprus state broadcaster reported. The airport is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from RAF Akrotiri.
Officials are assessing whether the radar track was linked to the wider drone threat picture over the island. Where the drones were launched from and which models they were remain unclear.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said the UAV that hit RAF Akrotiri overnight was “Shahed-type,” a reference to Iran’s Shahed family of loitering munitions.
The Shahed-136, an Iranian-designed one-way attack drone widely used by Russia in Ukraine (as the Geran-2), is commonly assessed to have a range of roughly 1,500 to 2,500 kilometers (about 900 to 1,600 miles), depending on variant and payload.