Cyprus alarmed as Hezbollah warns against giving airports to 'Israel'
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In a stark statement, Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out that the Cypriot government would be a party to war if they allowed its airports and bases to be used by the Israeli occupation.
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This handout image by the Israeli forces shows soldiers taking part in the "Beyond the Horizon/Agapinor" military drill in the Greek Cypriot administration, June 2, 2022. (AFP)
According to Israeli Ynet, the Cypriot Ambassador to "Israel" Kornelios S. Korneliou expressed that Nicosia would address the speech of Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, citing that "When such a person threatens, we will definitely respond."
In a stark statement, Sayyed Nasrallah warned the Cypriot government about allowing its airports and bases to be used by the Israeli occupation. "The Cypriot government should be warned that opening its airports and bases to the enemy to target Lebanon means it has become part of the war."
The ambassador did not respond to Sayyed Nasrallah, but said "We are working in close coordination with Israel, and I am sure he does not welcome this."
When asked if he was surprised by Sayyed Nasrallah's threats, Korneliou stated "Yes and no. Relations between Israel and Cyprus have never been this strong, and this is all on the surface," adding that the country is trying to "play a modest role in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza in close coordination with Israel."
The ambassador stated that he was "sure Hezbollah does not welcome all of this," citing that there are numerous flights a day between both the occupation and Cyprus, citing "Relations are very strong on the tourism, business and political agenda in Israel."
Israelis conducted drills in Cyprus simulating Hezbollah war in 2022
In July 2022, Israeli media reported that the Paratroopers Brigade conducted training exercises in Cyprus to fight against Hezbollah.
The Israeli Walla! website said that the Paratroopers Brigade conducted exercises in a village in Cyprus, in an attempt to learn how to confront Hezbollah fighters in the Lebanese villages. The goal, as mentioned on the website, is to "get Hezbollah fighters out of their hideouts and force them to fight head-on."
It was not the first time that the IOF has trained in Cyprus. In May 2022, as part of the Chariots of Fire drills, the IOF commando brigade went to Cyprus to train on possible Lebanese invasion tactics in light of future confrontation with Hezbollah. The IOF chose Cyprus given the similarity of the two countries’ terrain, according to the website.
Back then, Walla! also reported that Cyprus's main opposition party, Akel, called the joint military exercises with the Israeli occupation forces "a dangerous development for the country."
Akel, one of the two major parties on the island, said in a statement that Cyprus "should avoid cooperating with a foreign army with a history of occupation, colonization, war crimes and violation of international laws, all of which remind us of the Turkish occupation in the island.”
The Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides responded to comments made by Sayyed Nasrallah, citing that “We do not participate in conflicts. Cyprus is the solution, not the problem.”
The party further said that the militarization of Cyprus' regional partnerships and the support of the island's National Guard for Israeli military personnel do not serve "the interests and security of our country and our people."
Locals living in the vicinity of the exercises had repeatedly complained of the noise caused by the artillery and military vehicles.
Greek Cypriot president comments
Christodoulides denied that Cyprus was taking sides in any war, and stated that "It (Cyprus) is not part of the problem, it is part of the solution. That role is evident, for example, through the humanitarian (aid) corridor which has been acknowledged not only by the Arab world but from the international community," he added, referring to assistance shipments from Cyprus.
Cyprus is not known to provide any land or base facilities to the Israeli military, although it has previously permitted "Israel" to utilize its extensive airspace – its flight information zone – for air drills, but never during a war, several Israeli drills were also conducted in the Island as previously mentioned.
Britain has previously and more recently utilized sovereign British military stations on Cyprus for operations in Syria.
