The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has threatened to attack Israel as well as the European Union (EU) country Cyprus. It is feared that an attack on the Mediterranean country, which is located near Lebanon, could also involve the EU and the UK in conflict.
Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, said in a televised speech last Wednesday, “If Lebanon is attacked, no place in Israel will be spared from our rockets.” If Israel opens its airspace to attack Lebanon, it will also attack Cyprus.’
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel’s army announced that it had approved plans to launch a military operation in Lebanon.
In response, Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah, threatened to attack Israel and Cyprus.
Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has passed eight months. There is now intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Rafah, the southernmost area of Gaza. In this situation, if the war between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel starts and it spreads to Cyprus, the situation can take a different turn.
In the face of threats from Hezbollah, Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides said his country does not support any side in any crisis. He instead highlighted his country’s positive role in reaching war-torn Gaza. According to him, the Arab countries and the international community are recognizing that role. Cyprus has not publicly provided any direct aid to the Israeli military. However, the Israeli Air Force is allowed to conduct occasional exercises within Cyprus’ vast airspace.
Attacks have been launched from UK military bases in Cyprus in the past in Syria and more recently in Yemen. As a former colonial power, the United Kingdom maintains two active military bases in the country.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad’s government are expected to become more volatile across the Middle East if they engage in a larger conflict with Israel. The United Nations and the US administration are trying to avoid such conflicts.
On the other hand, on Wednesday, the US Air Force attacked Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The United States claimed that the ship was being attacked in the Red Sea from the positions of the Houthis.
On the same day, the Israeli Air Force attacked several Hezbollah installations in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has also carried out drone strikes in northern Israel. Earlier on Tuesday, the Lebanese armed group released video taken by its own drone north of Israel. On this video footage, they threatened to attack military installations in the city and port of Haifa, Israel. But till now it has not been possible to verify the authenticity of that video.\