Starmer orders British drone to circle region

The UK military has told the Canary that British war drone circled Lebanon for 13 hours on 8 April 2026 was not there. This is despite is being visible on an aircraft tracking platform. The Cyprus-launched aircraft circled a key battlefield in Israel’s current air and ground assault on Lebanon. It was there despite the UK calling for a ceasefire.

Journalist Matt Kennard, who originally spotted the aircraft, reported that 18 people had been killed in Baalbek, in Lebanon’s east, at time of the flight:

The Canary understands the aircraft may be Protector drone, which was meant to supersede the Royal Air Force’s Reaper drones. However UK NGO Drone Wars said in 2025 that Reaper’s lifespan had been extended.

The Reaper drone and Protector drone can carry lethal munitions. RAF Akrotiri is one of two UK colonial bases in Cyprus. The Canary recently reported on efforts by local anti-genocide activists to reclaim Cypriot sovereignty.

And a British Reaper or Protector also overflew Lebanon on 9 April:

The Canary asked the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for more details about why a British military aircraft was over Lebanon during the Israeli assault.

MOD communications officer Luc Wilson told us:

The aircraft in question was not conducting operations over Lebanon.

‘Operations’? It was a military drone out on annual leave, was it?

Israel is currently attempting to cut off southern Lebanon by force. Israel’s intention has long been to colonise the region entirely.

The UK flew crewed spy flights over Gaza throughout the first years of the genocide. These also originated in Cyprus.  After those spy flights ended, it emerged that the UK government had decided to replace them with drone flights.

Still hitting Lebanon

The Canary reported on 22 November 2025:

The Genocide-Free Cyprus (CFG) group has uncovered details of an extensive new mission involving the use of Reaper long-endurance drones – designated Protector RG1 for the RAF – that are already preparing for what is evidently a new surveillance mission over Gaza, with the drones already operating close to the Gaza coast.

Israeli is still hitting the region despite claiming to be on-board with ceasefire plans:

In theory, Hezbollah breached a US-brokered ‘ceasefire’ with Israel in early March which had held up since their last war in 2024. In practice, the US gave Israel carte blanche to strike Lebanon, which it has done constantly since the deal was struck. During the intervening period, Israel attacked southern Lebanon about 15,400 times.

Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich said on 23 March that the current war:

needs to end with a different reality entirely, both with the Hezbollah decision but also with the change of Israel’s borders.

I say ​here definitively…in every room and in every discussion, too: the new Israeli border must be the Litani.