Cyprus, the European Union member country closest to the coasts of the Middle East, is in Hezbollah’s sights. This Wednesday, June 19, the leader of the Shiite militia, Hassan Nasrallah, who spoke on television, warned that “no place” in Israel would be spared by its missiles in the event of an attack against Lebanon, on background of fears of a conflagration linked to the war in the Gaza Strip.
He warned the island by name, accusing it of supporting the Israelis in their war efforts against Lebanon.
The leader of Hezbollah assures that he “holds information” according to which Israel could use Cypriot “airports and bases”. “We warn the Nicosia government that opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is party to the war,” said Hassan Nasrallah.
Cyprus is located some 300 kilometers from Israel and around 200 kilometers from Lebanon, and maintains good relations with both countries. This is the first time that the island has been directly targeted by threats from Lebanese leaders.
Belligerent speeches
Hassan Nasrallah’s speech came the day after the Israeli army announced that “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon” had been “validated”. The leader of Hezbollah promised the Jewish state to fight him “without restrictions or limits” in the event of an attack. In the event of war, “Israel will have to wait for us by land, by sea, by air.” A particularly bellicose speech, observes the Lebanese daily The Orient By Day.
“I have read the comments (by the leader of Hezbollah, Editor’s note) and I would like to say that the Republic of Cyprus is not involved in any way in this war,” Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides retorted in a statement. Cyprus is “part of the solution, not the problem”, he insisted, arguing that his country played a role, “recognized by the Arab world and the entire international community” in the deployment of a maritime corridor allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Climbing on the Lebanese-Israeli border
The devastating war in Gaza, which erupted after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, has led to daily violence on the Israeli-Lebanese border between Hezbollah, an ally of the Palestinian Islamist movement, and the Israeli army. , which have intensified in recent weeks.
Hassan Nasrallah said his movement had used “only part of its weapons” since it opened the southern Lebanese front on October 8 to support its ally, Hamas, in Gaza. “We received new weapons, we developed some of our weapons […] and we are saving others for the days to come,” said the leader of the armed movement.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah launched new attacks against northern Israel, the Israeli army announced without reporting any casualties. The Shiite formation announced the death of four of its fighters in Israeli strikes. More than eight months of violence between Hezbollah and the Israeli army in border areas have left at least 478 dead in Lebanon, including some 312 Hezbollah fighters but also at least 93 civilians, according to an AFP count. While on the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians were killed, according to Israel.