UK, France send warships, air defence assets to Cyprus after drone attack

The development comes after an Iranian-made drone crashed into the UK’s military base in Cyprus.Published On 3 Mar 2026The United Kingdom is deploying a warship and helicopters to Cyprus, the British government has said, as global concern continues to mount over the fallout from deadly US-Israel attacks on Iran and retaliatory Iranian strikes across the region.The UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that it was sending the HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean along with two Wildcat helicopters “to bolster drone defence for our Cypriot partners”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UK faces legal, military quagmire as Starmer allows US to use British baseslist 2 of 3British military base in Cyprus targeted in suspected drone attacklist 3 of 3Are the US-Israeli attacks against Iran legal under international law?end of listOne of the Royal Navy’s six Type-45 air defence destroyers, the HMS Dragon is fitted with a Sea Viper missile system able to launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds and guide up to 16 missiles simultaneously, the ministry said in a statement.In a social media post announcing the deployment, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the country was “fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there”.“We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies,” he wrote on X.Later on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. He said the Charles de Gaulle will be escorted by its air wing and its escorting frigates.In a prerecorded speech on French TV, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air defence systems, and airborne radar systems have been deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East.“And we will continue this effort as much as necessary,” Macron said. He cited Monday’s strike on a British air force base on Cyprus, adding that Cyprus and France have recently signed a strategic partnership agreement.