LIVING ON STANDBY

Healey and our man take cover as Iran targets RAF base in Med

- CHRIS HUGHES

MINUTES before our arrival at RAF Akrotiri, air-raid sirens went off and thousands of British troops dived for cover.

Another alert had gone up the second in hours - as the RAF base fast becomes the emergency focus for UK forces and the Iran crisis spirals out of control.

And within hours, we were driven at breakneck speed to safety as a third air-raid siren went up, sending troops and visitors once again diving for cover.

The eerie whining of WWII-style sirens blaring out the “take cover” warning made troops don helmets and head for shelter on the ground or find nearby bunkers. For the second time in a day, Defence Secretary John Healey was forced to take cover from an attack threat of incoming missiles or drones.

His cortege whisked him to safety as he left a meeting, with troops converging around fighter jets which were on standby to protect the base.

Minutes later, the all-clear signal was delivered. Yet again, the warning was either a dud or a threat had not reached Akrotiri.

It was supposed alarms such as this meant the base on the southern tip of Cyprus has been bolstered for weeks against the threat of war in the Middle East spreading.