France has announced plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems, along with a frigate, to Cyprus following drone attacks on the British sovereign base, RAF Akrotiri, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reported on Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly informed Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides of the deployment early Tuesday.
A Cypriot government source confirmed the report, while the French defence ministry did not immediately comment.
The aid follows Greece’s offer of military support after RAF Akrotiri was targeted in two separate drone incidents on Monday.
In the first, an Iranian-made Shahed drone crashed onto the runway, causing limited damage. Later, two additional drones were intercepted.
Cypriot officials said the attack was carried out by an Iranian Shahed drone, likely launched by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.
Authorities emphasized that the British base, considered sovereign UK territory, was the intended target, not Cyprus.
The incidents come amid heightened tensions following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, which have triggered regional retaliation.
Britain had previously agreed to allow its bases in Cyprus to be used for defensive operations against Iran but confirmed that U.S. bombers were not operating from the islands. Cyprus has requested that the bases be used solely for humanitarian purposes.
Greece has dispatched four F-16 fighter jets and two frigates, including one equipped with the anti-drone Centauros jamming system, to Cyprus.
Centauros, previously deployed against Houthi drone attacks in Yemen, can detect and disable low-flying drones that evade radar systems, according to Cypriot defence sources.
