The British bases in Cyprus could “easily be targeted again” as the war in the Middle East continues, the British forces’ Cyprus commander major general Tom Bewick has said.

“One would be a fool not to take the Iranians at their word,” he told the BBC, a month after the Akrotiri base was hit by an Iranian-made drone, though he did stress that now, the base is “as protected as it can be”.

Of last month’s drone strike, he said that the drone had been detected by British radars as it approached the base, providing “ample time” for the alert to be sounded so that people could be evacuated from the danger zone.

He also stressed that the damage caused by the drone was “minimal”.

“They didn’t get much bang for their buck,” he said, though he did say that he “suspects” that those who coordinated the tack “hit what they were aiming at”.

That target is estimated to be a hangar at the base which houses American Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, which are known to fly reconnaissance missions over the Middle East from Akrotiri as part of what is known as “Operation Olive Harvest”.

However, Bewick stressed that Akrotiri’s air defences have been “thickened” since the drone strike.

The BBC confirmed that at present, eight Typhoon fighter jets and eight F-35 fighter jets are currently stationed at Akrotiri, as are three AW159 Wildcat helicopters, which it said are equipped with “short-range air defence missiles”, and two Merlin Mk2 helicopters, which are equipped with “early warning radar” systems.

The Type 45 destroyer warship the HMS Dragon is also stationed in the waters off Cyprus, with Bewick saying of the ship that while he is “chuffed to bits” to have a “super high-end” warship in the area, the base itself now has “adequate” air defences.

On the question of the bases’ future, he said only that British sovereignty over both Akrotiri and Dhekelia is “not up for debate”.

This comment comes in direct contravention to efforts made by the Cypriot government in recent weeks, with government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis having said that the government is undertaking preparations “at all levels” for such negotiations to take place.

Previously, President Nikos Christodoulides had promised upon his arrival a European Council summit that “we are going to have an open and frank discussion with the British government” over the future of the bases. 

That summit then ended with the European Council declaring that it stands ready to assist” the Cypriot government in discussions regarding the bases’ future and stating that it “acknowledges the intention of Cyprus to initiate a discussion with the UK” on the matter.

More recently, Kourion mayor Pantelis Georgiou had said he believes that communications antennae installed at the base may be linked to an elevated risk of cancer and said that like the central government, he, too, is seeking legal advice regarding the British government’s plans.