A British military drone flew over eastern Lebanon on the same day Israeli air strikes on Lebanon killed more than 300 people in less than 10 minutes, according to flight-tracking data analysed by Middle East Eye, prompting renewed scrutiny of the UK’s intelligence role in the region.

The Royal Air Force MQ-9B Protector drone departed from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus early on April 9 and entered Lebanese airspace at about 6.20am, circling near Baalbek and Younine in the Beqaa Valley for roughly 20 minutes. The area was later hit in a wave of Israeli strikes that killed 18 people locally, part of a broader assault that struck multiple cities across the country. A two-week ceasefire had been declared and was supposed to be in force on April 9.

The drone later crossed into Syrian airspace, flying north past Homs and over Idlib, before returning to the vicinity of Baalbek at around 8.15pm. It left Lebanese airspace shortly afterwards, heading back towards Cyprus. Its activities for several hours during the day remain unclear.

The RAF describes the remotely piloted aircraft as supporting missions including “surveillance, search and rescue, and armed operations alongside Nato and US forces”. Military sources cited by Middle East Eye said the aircraft was not conducting operations over Lebanon, while the UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment on whether the flight was coordinated with Lebanese authorities or whether intelligence was shared with Israel or the US.

The timing of the flight, both before and after the Israeli strikes, has drawn attention given longstanding UK involvement in regional intelligence-gathering. A source familiar with British surveillance capabilities previously told the publication that such operations provide the UK with “a bird's-eye view of the genocide”, adding: “Britain knows exactly what is happening because of those flights. They have a better view than any journalist.”

RAF Akrotiri has been a focal point of controversy during the conflict, having launched hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza. The Ministry of Defence has maintained these were in support of “hostage rescue”, although details of the operations have remained classified.

The UK has also deepened defence ties with Israel in recent years under a 2020 military agreement intended to “formalise and enhance the defence partnership and support the growing Israel-UK partnership”, though the accord has not been made public.

Israeli strikes have killed about 1,900 people in Lebanon and displaced more than one million since the conflict expanded beyond Iran on February 28, according to Lebanese authorities, intensifying pressure on western governments over their role in the crisis.