Spain to send frigate to Cyprus after drone strike

MADRID, March 5, 2026 (AFP) : Spain will send its most advanced frigate to protect Cyprus after a drone strike on a British base on the Mediterranean island sucked it into the Middle East war, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

The announcement comes as Madrid faces intense US pressure for refusing to allow Washington to use its bases against Iran, triggering threats of trade reprisals from President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the White House said Spain had agreed to "cooperate with the US military", only for Spain to reaffirm its stance on its bases and its opposition to the war.

Spain's "Cristobal Colon" frigate will join French aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" and Greek navy ships to "offer protection and aerial defence" and "support any evacuation of civilians", said a defence ministry statement.

The frigate will head for the Mediterranean after a mission with the "Charles de Gaulle" in the Baltic Sea and is scheduled to arrive at the Greek island of Crete around March 10, the ministry said.

France, Britain, Italy and Greece have also announced the deployment of sea and air resources to EU member Cyprus after the runway of the Akrotiri airbase was attacked by an Iranian drone on Monday.