An alarm has rung out near RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, with staff at their base and their families urged to stay indoors and way from windows, according to local broadcasters Alpha Cyprus and ERT. The alert came after a suspicious object was detected in airspace near Lebanon, prompting fighter jets to scramble from a nearby base.

One of the largest newspapers in Cyprus, Phileleftheros, said loud sirens are blared in the surrounding area of ​​the bases. Officials said the message was sent to personnel as a precaution while authorities assessed the potential threat. On Wednesday morning, two fighter jets were launched from the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos to identify and assess a suspicious object. Sources also told Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that two F-16s took off from Paphos for the purposes of “identifying and dealing” with a suspicious object. After completing their mission, the aircraft returned safely to base. On Wednesday morning, Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said a possible suspicious object had been spotted in airspace near Lebanon.

He added that, as a precaution, the relevant authorities had taken all necessary measures to investigate.

The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday evening that a drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus earlier this week was not launched from Iran.

The Shahed-like drone struck the British air base shortly after midnight on March 2, prompting heightened security measures and the temporary dispersal of non-essential personnel.

A statement read: “Overnight, RAF Typhoon and F-35B jets continued defensive air operations across the Middle East with support from Voyager air-to-air refuelling in defence of British interests and allies.

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“The Ministry of Defence can confirm that a Shahed-like drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri at midnight on 2nd March was not launched from Iran.

“In the last 24 hours, the UK has resupplied air defence systems to British and allied bases across the region – including UK-built air defence missiles.

Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters – armed with Martlet missiles capable of taking out aerial threats – will arrive in Cyprus in the coming days.”