Wary European states pledge military aid for Cyprus, Gulf

A blaze sweeps following Israeli bombardment on a solar farm and electricity generation facility in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre on March 4, 2026. Picture: Kawnat Haju / AFP Wary of getting directly involved in the US-Israeli war with Iran, European countries are nevertheless being drawn into the conflict following attacks on Cyprus and Western allies in the Gulf. While underlining their “defensive” aims, several European countries have now pledged military assistance to EU member Cyprus as the Middle East conflict intensifies and widens.

Britain, Greece and Portugal have gone further by also allowing the US military to use their bases under certain conditions. Spain has ruled this out and Italy has said it has not received any such request. “We are not at war and we do not want to join the war,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told RTL 102.5 radio on Thursday.

Here are the main military assistance pledges from Europe so far: An Iranian-made unmanned drone struck the runway at the British air force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus on Monday. Other drones, probably launched by Iran-backed military group Hezbollah from Lebanon, have been intercepted. Britain said it it sending a warship, HMS Dragon, fitted with a Sea Viper missile system able to launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds.

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It is also deploying Wildcat helicopters equipped with Martlet missiles that can take down drones. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially refused to have any role in the war but later agreed to a US request to use two British military bases for a “specific and limited defensive purpose”.

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