NICOSIA – Nicosia is closely monitoring the rapidly escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey.
As the Greek edition of the German media outlet Deutsche Welle reports, the latest escalation in the confrontation has taken on a direct Cypriot dimension after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a fierce attack against Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, reminding him that Turkey “occupies half of Cyprus.” [Editor’ note: 37 percent.]
Although the Cypriot government has so far made no official statement, well-informed sources told DW that Nicosia is on alert over the possibility that the confrontation could spill over onto Cypriot territory, given the presence of Turkish military forces in the occupied areas.
It is recalled that just 20 days ago, Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles launched from the occupied areas conducted flights over the Deryneia area during an anti-occupation event attended by President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides.
The President himself described the incident as an unprecedented violation, saying that “the Turkish occupying forces may have wanted to send some kind of message.”
Eyes on Iran
At the same time, according to Deutsche Welle, Nicosia is closely following developments in Iran, particularly following a recent Financial Times report that Tehran is considering strikes against U.S. military targets in southeastern Europe, including Cyprus, in the event of renewed U.S. escalation.
The Cypriot government sought to reassure the public, stating that Cyprus is not a target and that increased precautionary measures are already being taken on the island.
The day after the report appeared, Tehran sought to reassure Nicosia, according to Deutsche Welle. Iranian diplomatic sources assured Cyprus that it would not be at risk from Iranian strikes provided that the British bases on the island were not used for operations against Iran.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office responded to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in particularly forceful terms, launching a fierce attack against the Turkish president.
In a statement published through the Israeli prime minister’s official account, Benjamin Netanyahu described Erdoğan as an “antisemitic dictator,” making accusations about, among other things, his treatment of the Kurds, his ties with Hamas, the persecution of journalists and political opponents, and the occupation of Cyprus.
The statement was essentially a response to the international arrest warrant issued by Turkey for Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as for another Israeli citizen.