NATO not to defend Cyprus in case of attack by Hezbollah: Stoltenberg
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When asked whether NATO would respond to an attack on Cyprus by Hezbollah, the NATO chief responded: "Cyprus is not a NATO ally."
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a joint news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
In an interview for CNN on Friday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO would not intervene to defend Cyprus in case of an attack by Hezbollah, citing Cyprus' non-membership in the military alliance.
The remarks come after Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned on Wednesday that the Lebanese Resistance views any Israeli possible use of Cypriot airports and military bases in case of an attack on Lebanon as Cyprus' participation in the war.
"Cyprus is not a NATO ally. I don't think it is right to speculate, but first of all, I think it is important to prevent that from happening," Stoltenberg said when asked whether NATO would respond to an attack on Cyprus by Hezbollah in case it participated in an Israeli offensive.
Read more: Cyprus reaffirms it won't facilitate aggression against any country
On Tuesday, "Israel" claimed it had authorized and finalized operational plans for a land and air offensive in Lebanon. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz later claimed that "Israel" was nearing a decision to "change the rules" regarding Hezbollah and Lebanon, warning of a comprehensive conflict and significant repercussions for Hezbollah.
Cypriot government spokesperson Konstantinos Lympiotis confirmed shortly after that his country "is not involved" and "will not participate" in any wars, noting that the Republic of Cyprus has excellent relations with Lebanon.
The government spokesperson shared a statement on social media from Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, reading that "no country will be granted permission to conduct military operations through Cyprus." He indicated that all negotiations with Lebanon will occur at a diplomatic level.
In turn, Israeli Channel 10 reported that there was some panic in Cyprus due to threats from Hezbollah's secretary general.
Tensions escalated on the Palestinian-Lebanese border following the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023. Since then, Israeli forces and Hezbollah, which supports Palestinian factions in their war with "Israel", have engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire across the border.
Read more: Hundreds in Cyprus demand dismantling British base, ceasefire for Gaza
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' 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.
