Nicosia, Cyprus. MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli is due to travel to Cyprus on Friday to meet President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace. The meeting comes amid heightened regional tensions following a drone strike at RAF Akrotiri.
Meeting at the Presidential Palace
Metreweli, the first woman to lead British foreign intelligence, is scheduled to meet Christodoulides at 9am. MI6 gathers intelligence abroad and is distinct from MI5, Britain’s domestic security agency.
Drone strike at RAF Akrotiri
The talks follow an incident in the early hours of 2 March, when an Iranian-made Shahed drone struck the runway at RAF Akrotiri, causing minor damage and no casualties. Cypriot and British officials said the drone was launched from Lebanon. Two further drones heading towards the base were subsequently intercepted by British forces.
Regional crisis and base access dispute
Cyprus has been drawn into a widening regional crisis after the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28. Britain agreed to allow US forces access to its bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites, though Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the Akrotiri base in Cyprus would not be used by Washington. Cyprus blamed Britain’s poor communication over the use of the base for drawing the island into the conflict and has opened the door to negotiations over the future status of the sovereign base areas.
Iranian threat and Eastern Mediterranean military buildup
IRGC General Sardar Jabbari later threatened to strike Cyprus directly, warning that Iran would launch missiles at the island with sufficient intensity to force American forces to leave.
A multinational military buildup is under way in the Eastern Mediterranean. Britain is deploying the air-defence destroyer HMS Dragon and two Wildcat helicopters with counter-drone capabilities to Cyprus. Greece has sent four F-16 fighter jets, with two frigates on their way. France has dispatched the frigate Languedoc along with additional land-based anti-drone and anti-missile systems. The Netherlands is set to send the air-defence frigate HNLMS Evertsen (F805) to support the strike group of the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, pending a parliamentary decision in The Hague.
Healey visit and Akrotiri security alert
British defence secretary John Healey visited Cyprus on Thursday, meeting Cypriot defence minister Vasilis Palmas to discuss the security situation in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean and agreeing to strengthen cooperation on crisis management. Healey said Britain was further reinforcing air defences in Cyprus in the face of Iranian threats.
Earlier on Thursday, a security alert was issued to residents of Akrotiri after authorities received a tip-off about a suspected object heading towards the British Bases. The all-clear was given after Cypriot government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis said the object’s final trajectory was not towards the Bases and that there was no incident.
NATO statement and Dutch travel advisory
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on 3 March that the alliance would defend every inch of NATO territory if needed. The Netherlands raised its travel advisory for Cyprus to yellow, with the Dutch embassy in Nicosia telling in-cyprus the advisory was updated on 2 March due to developments linked to Middle East military operations, including the cancellation of flights to and from Cyprus by a number of international airlines.
What impact do you think the rising regional tensions could have on security and travel in Cyprus?
