Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides (left), during a tour of the buffer zone between Cyprus and the self-proclaimed Republic of Northern Cyprus, in Sept. 2025. (Credit: Presidency)
BEIRUT — The Iranian-made drones that targeted a British military base in Cyprus were sent from neighboring Lebanon, likely by Hezbollah, a Cypriot government source told AFP.
"It has been confirmed" that the drones, one of which hit a runway, were launched from Lebanon, according to the same source. When asked whether the Iran-backed armed group launched them, the source replied, "very likely." Initially, it had been reported that the drones targeting British bases in Cyprus had been launched by Iran. Citing a Cypriot source, Reuters had reported earlier, that "all indications" pointed to the drones being launched by Hezbollah.
President Joseph Aoun contacted his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides, on Monday "to condemn the attack targeting Cyprus and reaffirm Lebanon's solidarity with the friendly Cypriot people," the Lebanese presidency reported on X.
Two drones fired toward the British Akrotiri air base in Cyprus were "neutralized," government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said Monday afternoon, just hours after the base was hit. The base was evacuated after sirens sounded, and around 70 vehicles left the area of the base, located on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island, AFP added.
In June 2024, former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah threatened Cyprus for the first time. "We are warning Nicosia: Opening airports and Cypriot bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean the Cypriot government is a party to the war," Hezbollah's top leader declared in a speech. He had previously mentioned "certain information" that Israeli soldiers were training on the island, "whose geography is similar to that of southern Lebanon."
