When RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was targeted in an attempted drone attack on Monday, it didn’t just leave the British government open to accusations that it was slow to respond to events in the Middle East. It also led to criticism from those who would like to see the British overseas territory returned to the Republic of Cyprus. 

The drone attack caused minor damage and no one was injured, but in the initial aftermath it was unclear whether it had been shot down by British forces on Cyprus, by Cypriot air defences or by an American warship in the area. The attack has led the UK government to send the warship HMS Dragon to Cyprus, although it will take at least a week to arrive there. As Tim Shipman revealed in this week’s magazine, questions will be asked about why military assets were withdrawn from the region ahead of the war.

Following the attack, the popular Cypriot daily Philenews argued that the British ‘presence endangers our country, our citizens’. Far from the British providing security, some see the drone attack as yet another example of the threat posed by having UK bases on the island. In 2024, Hezbollah threatened to attack Cyprus over the role of the bases in the Gaza conflict, and the Cypriot government suspects they are responsible for the drone attack this week.

This has emboldened Cypriots who have........

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