Aerial view of HMS Dragon, off the coast of England, March 4, 2026. (Credit: Justin Tallis/AFP)
Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets in the coming days to defend Cyprus after an Iranian drone attack on a British base located on the island and the repeated detection in recent days of devices fired from Lebanon. Greek naval vessels are also expected to be mobilized.
Due to these threats to the Cypriot island, which is a member state of the European Union but not of NATO, "with Spain, France and the Netherlands, we will send naval assets in the coming days to protect Cyprus," the Italian defense minister said before Italian lawmakers.
The Spanish Defense Ministry had almost simultaneously announced the dispatch of a frigate to Cyprus for "protection" missions, which will accompany the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and other Greek naval vessels.
The frigate Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) will carry out "protection and air defense" missions and will assist in "any evacuation of civilian personnel," the Ministry said in a statement. This announcement comes amid tense relations with the United States over Spain's refusal to allow the use of its bases against Iran, and just moments after a declaration by the defense minister that Spain would "consider" providing military aid to Cyprus if asked by its European partners.
If "the European Union, to protect Cyprus, decided on certain missions," Spain "would take that into account and evaluate" this scenario, Margarita Robles said in an interview with Cadena Ser radio, just before her Ministry's statement.
Wildcat helicopters expected in Cyprus
Overnight from Sunday to Monday, the British military base at Akrotiri, Cyprus, was hit by a drone. According to a Cypriot government source, this drone was launched from Lebanon, "probably" by Hezbollah. British Defense Secretary John Healey, who arrived in Cyprus on Thursday, confirmed that the drone used, a Shahed-type, "was not fired from Iran."
According to Healey, who shared an update on X about the assets deployed, Typhoon and F-35 jets from the Royal Air Force are participating in the region's defense. Wildcat helicopters, armed with Martlet missiles, are expected in Cyprus "in the coming days," he added.
However, the British destroyer HMS Dragon, whose deployment Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday, will not be able to leave Portsmouth (in southern England) until "next week" and should take several more days to reach the eastern Mediterranean, a Western official said Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
"The only ship we are sending, HMS Dragon, is still in Portsmouth [southern England]. That's not enough," opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch lamented Wednesday in Parliament, addressing Starmer.
Healey's visit to Cyprus aims to discuss "strengthening" air defenses and address the island's government's displeasure. "The longstanding friendship between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus remains strong in the face of Iranian threats," the minister said in a message on ++, accompanied by a photo of himself and his Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas.
He added that he discussed with Palmas "the strengthening of our air defenses by the United Kingdom in order to ensure our common security." In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday night, Cyprus' ambassador to the U.K., Kyriacos Kouros, said he was "disappointed" by the lack of information shared with the Cypriot public after the drone attacks. He called on British authorities to "cooperate more" with local authorities to ensure "such incidents do not happen again."
