An RAF airfield in Cyprus has been hit by a drone strike just hours after the UK granted the US permission to launch strikes on Iran from its military bases.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed in the early hours of this morning that RAF Akrotiri had come under attack. It is believed that an Iranian drone, potentially fired from Lebanon by Hezbollah, was responsible.
The MoD added that it had ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel from the base as a “precautionary measure”.
The families of British service personnel have been relocated to alternative accommodation on Cyprus.
"Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal, protecting the safety of Britain and our interests,” a spokesperson added.
The strike came shortly after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that he had granted a US request to use British bases as a platform to launch attacks on Iranian missile infrastructure.
Ministers had initially refused to allow Washington to use the joint base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, to stage offensive operations against the Islamic Republic.
That decision was reportedly made after the government's legal advice suggested that a pre-emptive strike on Iran could amount to a violation of international law.
However, in a Downing Street speech, Starmer argued that the US' fresh request was based on the principle of "collective self-defence" and would help protect British nationals abroad, as he accused Iran of implementing a "scorched earth policy".
He also confirmed that British aircraft had been involved in intercepting Iranian missiles in the Gulf, adding: "Our partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them."
Yet he insisted that Britain had learned from the "mistakes of Iraq" and "will not join offensive action now".
Elsewhere, following Hezbollah rocket strikes against Israel, the IDF has confirmed an "offensive campaign" in Lebanon against the terror group, Iran's main proxy in the region.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the army's chief of staff, warned that the fighting could last several days, saying: "We need strong defensive readiness and continuous offensive preparedness, in waves."
Iran has responded to the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with strikes on both Israeli cities and neighbouring Arab states.
Nine people, including a mother and her adult daughter, were killed yesterday in a strike on Beit Shamesh.
A further three were injured as a missile hit a highway just outside Jerusalem.
And three American soldiers have been killed as Iran lashes out against US military bases in the region, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
While Tehran insists that it has only targeted American military infrastructure, missiles have struck residential areas in Dubai and Manama, while an impact was reported this morning on the US embassy in Kuwait City.
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