At the threats he recently launched against Cyprus Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said a Spiegel report.
The German magazine recalls that in 2022 the Israeli army carried out some exercises in Cyprus, with the Israeli media writing at the time that the training concerned the “fight against Hezbollah” in a territory very similar to the Lebanese.
“The EU watches nervously developments,” writes the Spiegel online publication. “Because Cyprus has been a member of the EU for 20 years and therefore Europe would also become part of the war if the Hezbollah leader launched an attack against the country.
As a Union representative stated: “any threat against in any of our member states is a threat against the EU (…) The EU is Cyprus and Cyprus is the EU”.
Greece immediately highlighted its “full solidarity” with Cyprus, adding that the threatened attack was a “flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter.”
Cyprus is not a member of NATO. However, the EU Treaties provide for a similar obligation of assistance: in the event of an attack, other EU States are obliged to assist the State under attack with all the means at their disposal”, Spiegel highlights.
Cyprus’s position
As German media notes, it is not easy for Cyprus to avoid getting involved in the conflicts unfolding in the region. “Cyprus is of great strategic importance in the Eastern Mediterranean. (…) Until now the country has tried to coexist with both camps. Cyprus has cultivated not only military but also economic cooperation with Israel – the two states want to conclude an agreement on the exploration of natural gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean. However and with Lebanon there were positive contacts: In early April, Cypriot President Christodoulidis was in Beirut and strongly advocated greater EU financial aid to the country.
Nasrallah’s goals
(…) It is unclear what exactly the Hezbollah leader intended to achieve with his threat against Cyprus. Anyway, his movement had some effect. Today, nothing is heard about military cooperation with Israel, like the exercises two years ago.”