In a televised address on Wednesday, Nasrallah warned Cyprus that allowing Israel to use its military infrastructure to target Hezbollah would be considered an act of war.
‘’Cyprus is a member state of the European Union. This means the European Union is Cyprus and Cyprus is the European Union. This means that any threat against one of our member states is a threat against the European Union,’’ said EU spokesperson for foreign affairs Peter Stano in response to a question regarding Hezbollah leader Hassan Sayyed Nasrallah’s threat against Cyprus.
In a televised address on Wednesday, the head of the Lebanese terror group warned Cyprus that allowing Israel to use its military infrastructure to target Hezbollah would be considered an act of war. He also said that nowhere in Israel would be safe if a full-fledged war breaks out, while also threatening Cyprus and other parts of the Mediterranean.
Nasrallah was speaking at a ceremony commemorating Hezbollah senior commander Taleb Abdullah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon last week alongside three other operatives,
“Opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war,” said Nasrallah.
‘’The European Union fully supports Cyprus as such and a statement made in this context of the threats by Hezbollah by the President of Cyprus,’’ Peter Stano said Thursday during the daily briefing of the European Commission.
“Cyprus remains uninvolved in any military conflicts and positions itself as part of the solution rather than the problem,” declared Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides in response to the Hezbollah’s threats.
Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis repeats that any suggestion that Cyprus – either through its infrastructure or territory – would be involved in any military operation in Lebanon is “totally groundless.”
Cyprus has enjoyed increasingly tight relations with Israel in recent years, spawned by the discovery of undersea natural gas deposits in waters between the two neighbors. Cyprus, which is not a member of NATO, has hosted joint Israeli-Cypriot military exercises, but has not been involved in any military operations.
that Cyprus could be implicated in a wider conflict if the island nation allows Israel to use its ports and airports to target Lebanon.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets and drones into Israel in the months since Hamas’ October 7 attack on the country.
Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari warned Monday that the region is on “the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences.”
.That means that the European Union is Cyprus and Cyprus is European Union. That means any threat against one of our member states is a threat against the European Union.So in this sense, the European Union fully supports Cyprus as such and a statement made in this context of the threats by Hezbollah by the President of Cyprus.
The EU spokesperson said the EU ‘’is following very closely the situation on the border between Lebanon and Israel,’’ said Peter Stano.’’ ‘’ This is a source of ongoing concern. The EU spoke it on the number of occasions that we are concerned by the growing tensions and confrontations. We said already on a number of occasions that in line with the UN Security resolution 1701 the EU is urging all actors to do everything they can to de-escalate or to stop steps that lead to escalation, to prevent further tension and engage in a meaningful negotiation. In this context we welcome the ongoing diplomatic efforts focused on de-escalation by international partners, namely France and the United States.’’
Asked if the Hezbollah’s threats would affect EU’s relations with Lebanon, Peter Stano only repeated that the EU will continue to support Cyprus and show the solidarity with the country, adding that it is engaged in contacts and activities with a number of partners in the region and internationally to contribute to the immediate de-escalation.
He confirmed that the EU is in contact with all actors in Lebanon, including the ‘’political wing’’ of Hezbollah. ‘’Unfortunately in Lebanon Hezbollah is a relevant factor, it is part of the society and part of the political spectrum. During a visit by the High Representative (Josep Borrell) a few months ago in Lebanon, he met representatives of the political fraction of Hezbollah where he conveyed very clearly the position of the EU and expectations of the EU. This is one of the illustrations of a number of contacts that are ongoing wit all the relevant actors who have a part to play in the immediate de-escalation,’’ Peter Stano said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz also reacted to Nasrallah’s statements in a post on X,.“Nasrallah threatens to attack Cyprus. Iranian missiles and extremist Islamic terrorism threaten European countries and the entire free world. We must stop Iran now before it’s too late,” he said.