Nasrallah’s Cyprus warning may hold truth, say experts

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s warning to Cyprus not to get involved in a possible all-out war between the Shiite organisation and Israel may not have been idle bluster, but rather based on knowledge of Cypriot-Israeli cooperation, military and intelligence sources have told a wide-circulation French newspaper.

The report, published by Le Figaro earlier this week, cited unnamed sources in the French military and intelligence services, including one who asserted that “Nasrallah is largely right in his accusations.”

Authored by Georges Malbrunot, the article cited one French military official claiming that Cyprus and Israel share a history of security cooperation, including the use of Cypriot airspace by Israeli combat missions.

Moreover, Israel is known to have established a significant presence on the island with a Mossad base staffed by several dozen agents.

The same source said that Cyprus has opened up its airspace to Israeli combat aircraft. “After taking off from their bases, to avoid any air defence systems, Israeli fighters make a wide turn, sometimes crossing Greek-Cypriot airspace to carry out their missions.”

And a diplomat formerly posted to Nicosia told Le Figaro: “It should be borne in mind that Cyprus is a kind of a backyard for Israel. You can see the Lebanese coast from the mountains of Cyprus.”

Meanwhile a French intelligence source spoke of a ‘Mossad base’ operating out of Cyprus.

“Israel realised that Cyprus was a very good observation post for what was happening in the Middle East,” the source said, adding: “Israel worked with the Cypriot intelligence services before setting up at least one Mossad base, staffed with several dozen people.”

Malbrunot points out that the British Bases in Cyprus are used for espionage purposes by the UK.

Therefore, the implications of Nasrallah’s threats go beyond bilateral tensions, Malbrunot concludes in his article. Any escalation involving Cyprus could have wider repercussions. A French military source told Le Figaro that because of close military cooperation between France, the UK, and Cyprus, any attack on Cypriot soil would be considered an attack on these European countries as well.

A Lebanese diplomat told Le Figaro: “At a time when Western powers, who have taken over from Israel, are putting pressure on Nasrallah to avoid a war, this is a way for him to assert himself as an even more indispensable interlocutor. Nasrallah is telling them, ‘You put pressure on us, and we threaten you’.”

And according to another French military source, by implicating Cyprus “Nasrallah knows that in the event of a war, he would drag countries like Britain and even France into it.”

The source added: “Our cooperation with the Cypriot army is strong, whether it be with artillery, signals intelligence or troops. An attack on Cyprus is also an attack on us.”