Meeting of EU ministers in Cyprus postponed after drone strike

A meeting of the EU’s European affairs ministers that was scheduled to take place in Cyprus on Monday and Tuesday was postponed after a drone struck a British air base on the island overnight, a Cyprus presidency spokesperson said.

“In the early morning hours we had a single, isolated incident of a UAV (drone) that targeted the British base in Akrotiri, Cyprus,” the spokesperson said early Monday. “Given this unanticipated development which has unfortunately impacted today’s flights to Cyprus, the Cyprus Presidency has decided to postpone” the informal gathering of the General Affairs Council, the spokesperson said.

“The exact origin of the UAV is currently under verification, but it has been confirmed that the Republic was not the target of an attack,” the spokesperson added.

Cyprus, an EU member country, is home to two U.K. air bases, which are regarded as British sovereign territory. Cyprus currently holds the the EU’s rotating presidency.

The overnight strike on the base in Akrotiri, which caused limited damage and no casualties, came shortly after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would allow the U.S. to use British military bases to “destroy [Iranian] missiles at source.”

This is a developing story.