Amid Iran’s military offensive, new reports indicated that the country’s new wave of drone strikes had struck UK military base RAF Akrotiri and a French naval base in the United Arab Emirates.
Gulf countries, including UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, which are all home to international, especially US, military bases have especially suffered as part of Iran’s retaliatory strikes in the wake of the joint US-Israeli attack launched against Tehran over the weekend.
Iranian drone strikes UK base
As claims of a suspected Iranian drone strike at a British military base in Cyprus made headlines, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that it was responding to the situation at hand.
“Our Armed Forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time,” an MOD spokesperson shared with The Independent. “Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people.”
The spokesperson affirmed the situation was “live” and that more information would be provided “in due course.”
As of now, it’s believed that no one died in the strike, which took place in the early hours of Monday morning. The reported “minor damage” sustained at the base came to light after British bases in the region declared a “security threat” just before midnight. Sources told Cyprus Mail that personnel was also ordered to return to their home and stay inside “until further notice,” and wait for further instruction.
These developments surfaced around the same time as UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s shocking admission that he had given the US permission to use Diego Garcia, a joint military base in the Indian Ocean, and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
“The US has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose,” Starmer said in a video. “We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved.”
The UK PM further asserted that their decision to grant permission to the US to mount “defensive” strikes against Iran from joint bases was aimed at destroying the missiles at source.
“We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved,” he added. “The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies, and protecting British lives. This is in line with international law and we are publishing a summary of our legal advice.”
French Defence Minister announces damage to French naval base
In addition to the damage caused at the UK military base in Cyprus, a French naval based was also struck in the Emirates, according to the French defence minister.
Catherine Vautrin took to her official X account in an effort to respond to numerous reports and messages regarding the matter.
“The hangar of our naval base, which borders the Emirati base, was damaged in a drone attack targeting the port of Abu Dhabi,” she tweeted online in French (English translation).
“The damage is limited to material losses. No injuries have been reported,” she added. “Our forces are maintaining maximum vigilance in the face of a situation that is evolving by the hour.”
Un hangar de notre base navale mitoyenne de celle des Émiriens a été touché dans une attaque de drones qui a ciblé le port d'Abu Dhabi.
— Catherine Vautrin (@CaVautrin) March 1, 2026
Les dégâts ne sont que matériels et limités. Aucun blessé n'est à déplorer.
La vigilance de nos forces est maximale face à une situation qui…
Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed ahead of an emergency security and defence council Sunday evening, the country would be strengthening its “[military] position and defensive support to stand alongside those with whom we have defense treaties and be able to adapt our stance to the developments of the last few hours.”
A day before, Paris asserted that it was informed about or involved in the US-Israeli operation against Iran. Macron previously even emphasised on the need to resume diplomacy, but his tone on the matter appears to have shifted after two Iranian drone hit a French naval base in the UAE on Sunday.
Alongside Germany and the UK, Franch has since issued a statement saying that it would work with the US and others “to defend our interest and those of our allies in the region.” This could include “enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” as per the statement.
The naval base in question is reportedly Camp de la Paix. After France and the UAE signed a mutual agreement in the 1990s, the French facility now operating in Abu Dhabi, was inaugurated in 2009. At the time, it emerged as the first French military base set up abroad in 50 years.