After Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened to attack Cyprus if the war with Israel expands due to its hosting of Israeli drills and bases, the Israeli Foreign Ministry deemed these statements as "terroristic." Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz wrote on his X platform account today, Thursday, that "Iranian missiles threaten European countries and the entire free world," calling for an end to Tehran’s actions. He added a warning: "We must stop Iran now before it's too late."
Nasrallah had warned on Wednesday night that no place in Israel "will be immune" from his fighters' missiles in the event of a wider war, while simultaneously cautioning Cyprus against opening its airports and bases to Israeli forces targeting Lebanon. In a speech delivered during a memorial for Taleb Abdullah, a prominent leader in his party who was killed by Israeli fire last week, he stated: "The enemy knows well that we have prepared ourselves for the worst days, and it knows that there will be no place immune from our missiles," adding, "It must expect us from land, air, and sea."
Hezbollah's positions, supported by Iran, came after the Israeli army "approved" operational plans for an attack in Lebanon, and following a visit by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut, which included meetings with Israeli officials where he emphasized that swiftly ending the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel diplomatically is "urgent." This followed warnings by the Israeli Foreign Minister on Tuesday about annihilating Hezbollah in the event of a "full-scale war," amid ongoing escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border for over eight months.
Cyprus, the small island situated in the Mediterranean Sea, maintains close relations with both Beirut and Tel Aviv. It is approximately 200 kilometers away from Lebanon and 340 kilometers from Israel. Britain still holds sovereignty over two bases in Cyprus, which was its colony based on agreements that granted the island independence in 1960.
