Abu Dhabi: The Al Salam Naval Base, also known as Peace Camp (Camp de la Paix), in Abu Dhabi, was hit by two Iranian drones early on Monday, officials confirmed. The base is an Emirati naval facility that also hosts a permanent French military contingent.
French defence minister Catherine Vautrin said a hangar was damaged in the strike but described the overall impact as “limited.” No casualties have been reported so far, as reported by Financial Express.
Vautrin took to her official X account and posted: “The hangar of our naval base, which borders the Emirati base, was damaged in a drone attack targeting the port of Abu Dhabi.”
“The damage is limited to material losses. No injuries have been reported,” she added. “Our forces are maintaining maximum vigilance in the face of a situation that is evolving by the hour.”
After France and the UAE signed a mutual agreement in the 1990s, the French facility in Abu Dhabi, was inaugurated in 2009. At the time, it emerged as the first French military base set up abroad in 50 years.
Iran, meanwhile, has taken the ongoing conflict into Europe by carrying out drone strikes on Royal Air Force (RAF) base Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that it was responding to the situation at hand.
“Our Armed Forces are responding to suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time,” a spokesperson said, as reported by The Independent.
“Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people,” the spokesperson added, affirming that the situation was “live” and more information would be provided “in due course.”
It is believed that no one person was killed in the strike, which took place in the early hours of Monday. The reported “minor damage” sustained at the base came to light after British bases in the region declared a “security threat” just before midnight. Sources told Cyprus Mail that personnel was also ordered to return to their home and stay inside “until further notice,” and wait for further instruction.
The strike came at a time when UK prime minister Keir Starmer said that he had given the US permission to use Diego Garcia, a joint military base in the Indian Ocean, and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
“The US has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose,” Starmer said in a video. “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.”
Their decision to grant permission to the US to mount “defensive” strikes against Iran from joint bases was aimed at destroying the missiles at source, the UK PM asserted.
“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,” he added. “The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies, and protecting British lives. This is in line with international law and we are publishing a summary of our legal advice.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also stressed ahead of an emergency security and defence council Sunday evening, the country would be strengthening its “[military] position and defensive support to stand alongside those with whom we have defense treaties and be able to adapt our stance to the developments of the last few hours.”
Alongside Germany and the UK, Franch has since issued a statement saying that it would work with the US and others “to defend our interest and those of our allies in the region.” This could include “enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” as per the statement.
