Several European nations are reinforcing military presence in the eastern Mediterranean following a suspected Iranian drone attack on the British Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Cyprus earlier this week.
On Monday, a drone strike targeted the RAF base at Akrotiri, causing minor damage but no casualties. Cypriot officials said the drone was a Shahed, likely launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah from Lebanon.
The attack took place amid Iran’s weekend retaliation to the series of U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response to the attack, Greece deployed two frigates, Kimon and Psara, along with four F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus. France sent its frigate Languedoc, equipped with anti-drone and missile defense systems, and has also ordered its flagship aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean.
Greek Navy frigates ‘Kimon’ and ‘Psara’ arrived at the port of Limassol on Tuesday as part of protective shield for Cyprus and surrounding regionpic.twitter.com/idh7r0socH
— Box of Chocolates (@BoxOfChocol8s) March 4, 2026
“I have ordered the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, its air assets, and its escort of frigates to set course for the Mediterranean,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address Tuesday, one day after warning that the conflict could spill over Europe’s borders.
President Macron announced the deployment of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its battle group, the frigate Languedoc and Rafale fighter aircrafts to the Mediterranean to protect French assets and contribute to the defense of our allies in the region. pic.twitter.com/EGh7cKXf0E
— France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi (@FrenchEmbassyZA) March 4, 2026
Spain announced it will send to Cyprus its Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate Cristóbal Colón, currently training with France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Baltic Sea. The Spanish warship is expected to reach the eastern Mediterranean near Crete next week.
According to reports, the Netherlands plans also to deploy the frigate HNLMS Evertsen to the eastern Mediterranean.
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed that Italy will deploy naval assets to the region. On Thursday, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides thanked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on X for Italy’s participation.
Un sentito ringraziamento alla Presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni @GiorgiaMeloni per il prezioso sostegno dell’Italia a Cipro. Questo gesto sottolinea le nostre relazioni bilaterali di lunga data, basate su valori condivisi e sull’impegno comune per un’Europa più sicura e… pic.twitter.com/OFIRW5f5uh
— NikosChristodoulides (@Christodulides) March 5, 2026
Meanwhile, the U.K. announced it is sending additional forces to Cyprus, including HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air defence destroyer equipped with the Sea Viper missile system, capable of guiding up to 16 missiles at once.
Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet missiles will also be deployed to counter suspected Iranian drones.
As the situation in the Middle East remains volatile, we are deploying our Type-45 Destroyer, HMS Dragon, to the Eastern Mediterranean.
We are also sending two Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus to bolster drone defence for our Cypriot partners.
Working alongside our allies, our… pic.twitter.com/cWerOOVEsu
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 3, 2026
Earlier on Wednesday, Cyprus reported a suspicious object near Lebanese airspace, prompting Greek F-16 fighter jets to scramble from Paphos.
