A senior Cypriot diplomat has criticised the United Kingdom for what he described as an inadequate response to recent attacks near a British military base on the island as tensions linked to the war involving Iran continue to grow.
Kyriacos Kouros, Cyprus’s high commissioner to the UK, said the public in Cyprus expected stronger action from Britain following drone strikes that targeted the RAF base at Akrotiri, which is sovereign British territory.
The installation was hit by drones on Sunday, while further attempted strikes were intercepted the following day.
Western officials have indicated that the attacks were not launched directly from Iran, even as regional tensions remain high.
Cyprus Calls For Stronger UK Military Presence
Kouros said people on the island were anxious and felt the British response had fallen short of expectations.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight programme, he said: “The people are disappointed, people are scared, the people could expect more. “I represent a practical people. We want to see the results.”
He later told Sky News that other countries had already increased their presence in the region, suggesting Britain should do the same.
“Already we have the presence of Greek forces on the island. Two frigates arrived, four aircraft arrived, all of them with abilities to combat drones,” he said.
“The French are coming. So… the least we expect is the Britons to also be present since, as I said, we are not only defending Cypriots on the island.”
Military Reinforcements Move Into Region After Drone Strike
Greek forces are already stationed on Cyprus, while France has deployed its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle along with escorting frigates to the eastern Mediterranean following the strike near the British base.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that Wildcat helicopters equipped with anti-drone systems would arrive in Cyprus this week.
However, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon is not expected to reach the region until sometime next week at the earliest.
Reports have also suggested concern among other regional partners. The Times said Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were unhappy with the pace of Britain’s response to the crisis, which followed US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
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A UK government spokesperson defended Britain’s actions, saying additional steps had been taken to strengthen regional security.
“We have taken significant and concrete steps to bolster our defences in the region,” the spokesperson said.
“Our jets — Typhoons and F-35s — have been flying regular defensive sorties from Cyprus and Qatar, successfully taking out multiple Iranian drones threatening the region.”
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