Great Britain is using its Akrotiri base in Cyprus for bombing raids on Yemen

On Friday morning, the UK Defense Minister, Grant Shapps, announced that the Royal Air Force's Typhoon aircraft had carried out precision strikes on two Houthi military targets in collaboration with the US forces.

According to Cyprus-mail, the strikes are aimed at positions held by the Houthi movement, a Shia Islamist organization believed to be supported by Iran. The organization controls a significant part of western Yemen and attacks ships passing through the Red Sea in response to Western support for Israel.

In total, four aircraft took off from the UK's RAF base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, to conduct bombing raids on Yemen using laser-guided bombs.

"Houthis have carried out a series of dangerous and destabilizing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, threatening British and other international vessels, causing serious disruptions to the vital operations of crucial ships," said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following the commencement of the strikes.

Simultaneously, according to the Russian news agency TASS, Russia has demanded an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council regarding the strikes. The meeting is scheduled for 17:00 Cyprus time.

A representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus told Cyprus Mail, "The security of maritime access to the Red Sea is of paramount importance, and the Republic of Cyprus is in constant contact with other states on this issue." He also noted that the Republic of Cyprus is not involved in military operations in the region.

A representative of the Cypriot government, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, stated that an official statement on this matter would be issued later.