I'm an expert in drone warfare – here's why Iran attacked the RAF in Cyprus

A top expert on drone warfare has revealed the key reason behind Iran's attack on a British military base in Cyprus. Professor Peter Lee, who specialises in war ethics and drone warfare at the University of Portsmouth, spoke to the Express about the current situation in the Middle East, which escalated on Saturday morning with the US attacking Iran and killing its long-serving dictator, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Following the US-Israeli strikes, Iran launched multiple attacks on US allies in the Gulf region, also targeting civilian sites.

And it wasn't long before Britain found itself in the firing line.

What happened in Cyprus?

In both instances, there were no casualties and damage was "minimal", the Ministry of Defence said.

"As a precautionary measure, we are moving families who live at RAF Akrotiri to alternative temporary accommodation in Cyprus," Defence Secretary John Healey wrote on social media, adding that he had spoken with the Commander of British Forces in Cyprus.

Reacting to the events, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain is "not joining the US and Israeli offensive strikes", adding that "the use of British bases is limited to the agreed defensive purposes."

He stressed that the strike on RAF Akrotiri was not in response to any decision that the UK government had taken, and that the drone had been launched before the UK announced it would allow the US to use UK bases for "defensive" actions.

"This government does not believe in regime change from the skies," Sir Keir stated.

What is Royal Air Force base Akrotiri?

RAF Akrotiri is a major British military airbase on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It sits inside the UK's Western Sovereign Base Area - British-controlled territory overseas - and is one of Britain's most important strategic bases abroad.

Built in the 1950s, the base has played a role in major global events for decades, from the Suez Crisis to operations in Iraq, Syria and Libya. More recently, RAF jets based there have carried out missions against ISIS and Houthi targets in Yemen.

Because of its location, RAF Akrotiri is a key launch point for British operations in the Middle East. It is also used as a staging and transit base during evacuations and international crises.

Why did Iran attack it?

Asked why Iran actually chose to attack a UK military base in cyprus, Professor Lee said: "Because it has been saying for quite a long time that its three main enemies are Israel, the United States, and Britain.

"In the language coming from Iran and Iranian leadership for the last couple of years, the United Kingdom has been mentioned several times, because the UK is an ally of Israel and an ally of the United States.

"And UK is probably the closest European ally of the United States. So for that reason, I think, Iran has already identified UK as a potential enemy and its missiles will not reach as far as London.

"So Cyprus is the nearest collection of British people at the military base."

What are the risks?

The professor said the strike's real impact is psychological rather than physical because the Shahed drone used in the attack has a relatively limited destructive capacity. This is because its size and range cannot carry a particularly large warhead, especially if it has travelled a long distance from Iran to Cyprus. While it could kill an individual, it would be unlikely to damage large buildings.

He said: "On one hand, it is a technical achievement to reach Akrotiri, but on the other hand, it is a very limited achievement and it would not cause much physical damage."

Lee also downplayed the risk to wider Europe as Cyprus is likely near the limit of the drone's range, adding that Iran would want to save better weapons for targets like Israel.

He concluded: "There's very little chance of a large missile being fired into Southern Europe."