The Ministry of Defense condemned the incident as an act of vandalism, stating that military flight operations were not affected, writes The Guardian.
On the night of June 20, two activists from the organization “Palestine Action” trespassed onto the Royal Air Force base Brize Norton in Cyprus, where they damaged two Airbus A330 MRTT Voyager refueling aircraft.
On their website, the activists reported that they sprayed red paint on the turbine engines, symbolizing “Palestinian blood,” using modified fire extinguishers, and also damaged the planes with crowbars. They left a Palestinian flag on the runway. After carrying out the action, they managed to leave the base without hindrance, and none of them were detained.
The UK Ministry of Defence condemned the incident, calling it an act of vandalism, and assured that military operations and flights were unaffected, as reported by The Guardian. At the same time, a full security review of the base was initiated.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the event as “shameful” and emphasized that the Armed Forces’ activities continue without disruption.
Pro-Palestinian activists claim that these aircraft assist the Israeli military in “committing genocide in Gaza” and attacks on the Houthis in Yemen. However, according to sources cited by The Guardian, the UK does not provide refueling support for Israeli military operations.
It is known that in April 2025, RAF Voyager aircraft were used to support Typhoon fighters bombing Houthi rebels near Sanaa in Yemen. London claims that the Yemeni Houthis receive support from Iran and Hamas, although the attack was a response to the group’s assaults on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.