Multiple British warplanes have been scrambled out of RAF Akrotiri after the British sovereign base was rocked by a blast.An explosion was heard near the base late on Sunday night – with a pair of Typhoon fighter jets and a larger Voyager jet sent out as a result.The Voyager, comparable to a small passenger jet in size, is typically deployed for air-to-air refuelling of fighter jets for longer-range missions.Flight tracking data showed the planes flying east out of Cyprus – before then disappearing from the radar.Both the scramble and the blast follow the news that Britain has agreed to a US request to use its military bases to strike Iranian missile sites.Meanwhile, air traffic control chatter from the eastern Mediterranean appears to indicate “a lot of missiles” between cyprus and Beirut, Lebanon.FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT…Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth to address US lawmakers tomorrowUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top American defence officials will brief Congress about the state of play in Iran on Tuesday, CBS News is reporting.Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will also brief lawmakers.As Cyprus sits in the firing line… Hezbollah launches ‘projectiles’ at IsraelHezbollah is said to have launched projectiles at Israel this evening, bringing Lebanon into this weekend’s conflict for the first time.The Israeli military said that projectiles launched from Lebanon resulted in sirens sounding in several areas in northern Israel.Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah that had culminated in Israeli strikes that severely weakened the Iran-backed group. Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group, voiced its solidarity with Iran on Saturday but stopped short of saying whether it would get involved.The Israeli military added in a follow-up statement that it intercepted a launch while other projectiles fell in open areas.UPDATE: ‘Iranian drone impacts airfield’ at RAF Akrotiri as blast rocks British baseAn Iranian drone has hit the airfield at RAF Akrotiri, the British sovereign base in Cyprus, sources have told GB News.A “security threat” was declared at the base after an explosion was heard just before midnight, telling staff to “return to your homes and stay inside until further notice”.Unconfirmed reports believe the drone may have been a Shahed 136, a one-way attack drone which has been used regularly by the Russian military for strikes in the Ukraine war.READ THE FULL BREAKING NEWS STORY HEREWelcome backWelcome back to GB News’ live coverage of events in Iran after nearly 48 hours of strikes, high-profile killings and more.Yesterday’s live blog concluded with the news that Britain has agreed to a US request to use its military bases to strike Iranian missile sites.The Prime Minister said the UK had accepted the request to prevent Iran from “killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved”.READ THROUGH TODAY’S COVERAGE IN FULL HERE
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter GB News Read More