The strike hit the RAF Akrotiri base at midnight, said the ministry, adding that its forces were handling a "live situation".

"Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people," a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a statement.

The incident came as Britain agreed on Sunday to allow the United States to use British military bases to fire "defensive" strikes aimed at destroying Iranian missiles and their launchers.

The Royal Air Force Akrotiri base is a British overseas territory near the southern coastal city of Limassol.

London recently deployed additional assets to the site as "defensive measures", including air and drone defence systems, radars, and F-35 aircraft.

While announcing that British bases can be used by US forces for defensive strikes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that Britain was "not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now".

"But Iran is pursuing a scorched-earth strategy, so we are supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region," he said in a post on X.