Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos announced today, Monday, that the country is prepared to assist in the evacuation of civilians from the Middle East if tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah. The foreign minister stated to reporters that Cypriot authorities have an emergency response mechanism for the potential evacuation of civilians since October, indicating that "we have identified how the program will operate, if necessary."
The minister added, "We all hope that this will not be necessary, but if it does happen, Cyprus will continue to act as a safety bridge to facilitate the departure of civilians from any besieged area in our region."
Lebanon is bracing for a response from Israel after a missile strike killed 12 children and teenagers in the occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. Israel and the United States have blamed the attack on Hezbollah, which the party has denied.
The island of Cyprus, located in the eastern Mediterranean, was used to evacuate thousands of foreigners from Lebanon in 2006 during the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The UK also used the island for the evacuation of British nationals and dual citizens from Sudan last year.
