Cyprus Mail 13 June 2025 - by Jean Christou
Britain will not protect Israel as Iran retaliates against overnight Israeli strikes, the defence editor of the Times newspaper said on X, without citing sources, Reuters reported on Friday.
Cyprus has two sovereign British bases, which in times of regional conflict are often cited as potential targets in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In October 2024, when Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel, Britain said two of its fighter jets and an air-to-air refuelling tanker played a part in attempts to prevent further escalation, but that the jets did not engage any targets.
RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was in May this year accused of supporting Israeli operations in Gaza through intelligence-gathering missions carried out from British soil.
The UK Ministry of Defence has repeatedly said RAF Akrotiri is used primarily for counter-terrorism and humanitarian missions.
However, Declassified UK and other media have reported on dozens of flights by surveillance aircraft from the base since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023.
One aircraft, the RC-135W Rivet Joint, is designed to intercept signals and electronic communications. Satellite tracking data and flight path analysis published by Declassified UK suggest these aircraft have flown repeated missions over the eastern Mediterranean.
The UK has denied directly sharing intelligence with Israel. But analysts told Declassified UK that data gathered through NATO or allied frameworks may still find its way to Tel Aviv.
“We cannot rule out that data collected from Cyprus is passed to Israel,” said one unnamed regional defence analyst.
“If so, the British base becomes an accessory to war.”
Britain said on Friday however that it was not involved in Israel’s strikes against Iran overnight and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged both sides to use restraint and return to diplomacy.
Britain’s foreign office and ministry of defence did not immediately respond to a request for comment on any potential British involvement in protecting Israel.
So far, the UK foreign office has not updated its travel advisory for Cyprus since June 4.
