Cyprus Accuses UK Of Not Doing Enough To Protect It From Iranian Attacks: 'People Are Disappointed'
A senior Cypriot official has accused the UK of not doing enough to defend the island from attack as the Iran war continues.
Kyriacos Kouros, the Cypriot high commissioner to the UK, said “the people are disappointed” by Britain’s efforts since the war began last weekend.
The RAF base Akrotiri, which is sovereign British territory, was struck by drones on Sunday, while further attacks were intercepted on Monday.
Western officials have said the attacks did not come from Iran.
Greek forces are already on Cyprus, while France has sent its flagship nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle, and its escorting frigates, to the region in response to the strike on the British base.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities would be on Cyprus this week.
However, the British warship HMS Dragon is not expected to arrive in the area until next week at the earliest.
Kouros told the BBC’s Newsnight programme: “The people are disappointed, people are scared, the people could expect more.
“I represent a practical people. We want to see the results.”
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “Already we have the presence of Greek forces on the island. Two frigates arrived, four aircraft arrived, all of them with abilities to combat drones.
“The French are coming. So… the least we expect is the Britons to also be present since, as I said, we are not only defending Cypriots on the island.”
Meanwhile, The Times reported that Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are also disappointed in the British response to the crisis, which was sparked by the US and Israeli bombing of Iran.
But a government spokesperson said: “We have taken significant and concrete steps to bolster our defences in the region.
“Our jets — Typhoons and F-35s— have been flying regular defensive sorties from Cyprus and Qatar, successfully taking out multiple Iranian drones threatening the region.”