Cyprus closes Larnaca airspace; Greece deploys frigates and F-16s for defence

Cypriot authorities closed the airspace above Larnaca after detecting what they described as a suspicious object. Two Greek F-16s scrambled to shoot down a suspected drone just outside Cypriot airspace. Greek frigates were circling waters around Cyprus to provide targeting coordinates for two pairs of F-16s deployed to the island. The security response follows an Iranian drone that caused minor damage at the UK's Akrotiri military base on Sunday and two more drones shot down on Monday. IRGC General Sardar Jabbari had previously commented on a US presence in Cyprus and threatened strikes 'with such intensity that the Americans will be forced to leave.' The conflict's geographic expansion into the eastern Mediterranean represents a significant widening beyond the Gulf theatre.