Iran LIVE: British warplanes scramble into action after Iranian drone strikes RAF Akrotiri

Multiple British warplanes were scrambled out of RAF Akrotiri last night after the British sovereign base was hit by an Iranian drone.

An explosion was heard near the base late on Sunday night - with a pair of Typhoon fighter jets and a larger Voyager jet sent out as a result.

The Voyager, comparable to a small passenger jet in size, is typically deployed for air-to-air refuelling of fighter jets for longer-range missions.

Flight tracking data showed the planes flying east out of Cyprus - before then disappearing from the radar.

Both the scramble and the drone attack came after Britain agreed to a US request to use its military bases to strike Iranian missile sites.

Meanwhile, air traffic control chatter from the eastern Mediterranean appeared to indicate "a lot of missiles" between Cyprus and Beirut, Lebanon.

FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT...

Keir Starmer bringing in Ukrainian drone experts to help shoot unmanned vehicles out of the sky

Sir Keir Starmer confirmed last night he would bring in drone experts from Ukraine to help Britain get to grips with unmanned vehicle attacks.

Ukrainian forces have spent four years developing drones - and being attacked by Russian and Iranian ones - under Vladimir Putin's invasion.

Now, however, the flying weapons are targeting British soil for the first time.

Ahead of the drone impact at RAF Akrotiri, the PM said Britain "will bring experts from Ukraine, together with our own experts, to help Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones attacking them".

Israel now orders massive evacuation of towns in Lebanon

Israel has ordered residents of at least 50 Lebanese towns to flee as far as one kilometre away.

The order comes after Hezbollah launched projectiles at Israel on Sunday evening, bringing Lebanon into this weekend's conflict for the first time.

The terror group said in a statement: "The resistance leadership has always emphasised that the continuation of Israeli attacks and the assassination of our leaders, youth, and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the appropriate time and place."

In response, Israel said its IDF would "operate against Hezbollah’s decision to join the campaign, and will not enable the organization to constitute a threat to the State of Israel".

MoD finally addresses RAF Akrotiri attack

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Our Armed Forces are responding to a suspected drone strike at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at midnight local time.

"Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people.

"This is a live situation and further information will be provided in due course."

Confusion as explosions rock Tel Aviv WITHOUT air raid sirens sounding

Confusion has broken out in the early hours of Monday morning in Israel as explosions were heard in Tel Aviv without any air raid sirens sounding.

The source of the explosions remains unclear - we'll bring you the latest on this as we get it.

Israel uses British-style laser weapon to down Hezbollah rockets - reports

Israel appears to have used a laser-based air defence system to intercept Hezbollah rockets.

In footage circulating online, there are no visible interceptor missiles striking the incoming rockets, like Israel's Iron Dome.

Instead, the projectiles are seen exploding mid-air, in what local reports have pinned on a focused laser beam targeting and neutralising them in flight.

Britain is developing a similar weapon, named DragonFire, in a bid to cheapen the cost of downing drones in the air.

Israel hits back at Hezbollah terrorists with strikes in Lebanon

The Israeli military has begun striking Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah across Lebanon.

Explosions were heard in the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut - a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israeli forces extraordinarily killed the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah, who led it for more than 30 years, in late 2024.

Donald Trump returns to White House after outlining plans for Iran

Donald Trump has returned to the White House just minutes ago after spending the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago base in Florida.

From his resort, Mr Trump oversaw American strikes on Iran - and the chaos which has followed - and on Sunday night outlined his plans for the Middle East.

In a video posted to his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said three US service members had been killed and said there would likely be more casualties - and vowed to avenge the deaths of Americans.

"Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives," the President said.

Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth to address US lawmakers tomorrow

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top American defence officials will brief Congress about the state of play in Iran on Tuesday, CBS News is reporting.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will also brief lawmakers.

As Cyprus sits in the firing line... Hezbollah launches 'projectiles' at Israel

Hezbollah is said to have launched projectiles at Israel this evening, bringing Lebanon into this weekend's conflict for the first time.

The Israeli military said that projectiles launched from Lebanon resulted in sirens sounding in several areas in northern Israel.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah that had culminated in Israeli strikes that severely weakened the Iran-backed group.

Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group, voiced its solidarity with Iran on Saturday but stopped short of saying whether it would get involved.

The Israeli military added in a follow-up statement that it intercepted a launch while other projectiles fell in open areas.

UPDATE: 'Iranian drone impacts airfield' at RAF Akrotiri as blast rocks British base

An Iranian drone has hit the airfield at RAF Akrotiri, the British sovereign base in Cyprus, sources have told GB News.

A "security threat" was declared at the base after an explosion was heard just before midnight, telling staff to "return to your homes and stay inside until further notice".

Unconfirmed reports believe the drone may have been a Shahed 136, a one-way attack drone which has been used regularly by the Russian military for strikes in the Ukraine war.

READ THE FULL BREAKING NEWS STORY HERE

Welcome back

Welcome back to GB News' live coverage of events in Iran after nearly 48 hours of strikes, high-profile killings and more.

Yesterday's live blog concluded with the news that Britain has agreed to a US request to use its military bases to strike Iranian missile sites.

The Prime Minister said the UK had accepted the request to prevent Iran from "killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved".

READ THROUGH TODAY'S COVERAGE IN FULL HERE