Hezbollah has threatened Cyprus. Here’s why

NICOSIA, Cyprus - Cyprus found itself at the centre of the world’s attention this past week when the leader of Hezbollah threatened to target the small island nation if it supported Israel in potential war efforts.

Amid intensifying violence between the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese militia and the Israeli military at the Israel-Lebanon border, Hezbollah’s chief warned on June 19 that the armed group would punish Cyprus if it allowed Israel to use its airports and bases to target Lebanon, saying it would be “part of the war”.

The warning from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah came as world leaders were scrambling to contain the

conflict between Israel and Hezbollah,

despite apparent efforts by both sides to keep the cycle of strikes and counterstrikes from spiralling into a full-blown war.

Here is a closer look at how Cyprus has been pulled into the situation.

Cyprus and Israel have economic, political and strategic ties. Their militaries have conducted joint exercises and exchanged visits, and the two countries have a defence cooperation programme, according to the Cyprus Ministry of Defence.

Cyprus has similar relationships with many other nations, including Britain, Egypt, France and, notably, Lebanon.

Cyprus also has a “defence attache” in Israel – and in about two dozen other nations – as part of what it calls “active defence diplomacy”.

There is an additional cooperation agreement among Cyprus, Greece and Israel, which Cyprus says is aimed at “strengthening peace, stability and security in the eastern Mediterranean”.

President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus wrote in a post on social media on June 19 that his country was “not involved in the war conflicts in any way”.

He added that Cyprus maintained communication channels with the governments of Lebanon and Iran and stressed the importance of diplomacy.

Cyprus has helped to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by sea, and the US military has used the island nation to transport assistance to the war-torn territory.

In his statement, Mr Christodoulides emphasised that Cyprus was “part of the solution”, an apparent allusion to the country’s efforts to help get aid to Gaza.

Officials from the Lebanese government tried to allay the concerns of their Cypriot counterparts on June 20, assuring them of Lebanon’s commitment to peace.

While Hezbollah is a formidable political force in Lebanon, its parliamentary bloc lost a majority in the national election in 2022, and its positions do not always represent the official government stance.

Other allies of Cyprus also condemned Hezbollah’s threat.

Mr Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Union, of which Cyprus is a member, on June 20 expressed support for Cyprus, saying that “any threat against one of our member states is a threat against the European Union”.

Mr Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, called Nasrallah’s comments “extremely unproductive”.

“Our preference would be for Hezbollah to pursue a diplomatic resolution,” he added at a press briefing on June 21. NYTIMES