After the RAF base Akrotiri in Cyprus was hit by a one-way attack drone, amid a fresh conflict in the Middle East, British families on the ground received a terrifying message

British families at a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus were last woken by the terrifying sound of a drone crashing to the ground last night, as the Middle East conflict rages on.

After a one-way attack drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, around midnight local time last night, family members of British military personnel were evacuated from the base, which also has two schools on it.

Overnight, Iran continued retaliatory strikes in response to US and Israeli strikes which led to the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday. At least three civilians have been killed in the UAE.

It is not yet clear whether the base was hit with a drone fired directly from Iran or from Tehran-backed proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Brit families in Cyprus were all sent a security alert after the attack telling them to "take cover" and stay away from windows as the UK takes precautionary measures following the unexpected incident.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Shahed drone targeted the base's runway, and told Sky News: "We're not able to provide further information and detail at this point, but obviously, all of the precautionary measures are being taken around the base."

The drone is believed to have been launched before Sir Keir announced he had allowed US forces to use British bases rather than in retaliation to the policy shift.

Air raid sirens were activated and RAF Typhoons and F-35B Lightning jets were scrambled alongside air to air refuelling tankers. The alert sent out to Brits on the island said: "There is an ongoing security threat. Please return to your homes and stay inside until further notice.

"Move away from windows and take cover behind or beneath substantial, solid furniture. Please await further instructions," as reported by The Sun.

Three British schools on the island have also been closed with immediate effect, including the two on RAF Akrotiri and a third school is on the separate Dhekelia Garrison on east of the island.

While there were no reported casualties, family members living on the base are being moved to a safer location on the island. It was unclear where they were fired from, but a base source said troops believed the launch sites may have been in Lebanon. In a statement by the MoD, it said: "Our Armed Forces are responding to a drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time.

"Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people. This is a live situation and further information will be provided in due course."

While a spokesperson for the Cyprus government said the strike was "involved an unmanned drone, which caused limited damage" and urged: "I want to be clear: Our country ⁠does not participate ⁠in any way and does ‌not intend to be part of any ‌military operation."

The drone strike came after Sir Keir Starmer allowed the US military to use British airbases to stop "appalling" missile and drone strikes on allies in the Middle East.

Sir Keir said British forces would not be directly involved in the strikes, and the bases would only be used for the "specific and limited defensive purpose” of targeting missile storage depots and launchers being used to attack Iran’s neighbours.

He said: "We have taken the decision to accept this request, to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.”