NICOSIA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The British air base at Akrotiri on the southern coast of Cyprus was hit by a drone early Monday, base authorities and the Cypriot government said.
Authorities at the base said personnel were informed that a "small drone" had impacted the airfield and that the base was responding to the incident. No casualties were reported, though there was "minor damage."
Officials also warned that additional impacts were possible.
The strike came shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would allow the United States to use British military bases to "destroy Iranian missiles at source."
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said earlier that Starmer had "unequivocally" assured him that the base was not a target, following reports that an Iranian missile heading toward Cyprus had been intercepted.
Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said authorities were monitoring the situation and were in constant coordination with the British base authorities and the British government in London.
Residents of Limassol, a southern coastal city whose outskirts extend to the base's perimeter, reported hearing an explosion and sirens. Some residents living closer to the base posted videos showing aircraft taking off.
Local media, citing unconfirmed reports, said the drone may have been a Shahed 136, a one-way attack drone previously used in Iranian strikes.
They also reported that a monitoring aircraft circled south of Cyprus for about three hours early Monday and remained airborne as of 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT). ■