Cyprus reacted with incredulity on Thursday after the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah threatened to consider the island nation as a “part of the war” should it continue to allow Israel to use its airports and bases for military exercises.
President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides stressed that the island nation “is in no way involved” in any military operations in the region or elsewhere, and said Nasrallah’s statements were “not pleasant.”
Christodoulides added that there were avenues of communication with both Lebanon and Iran “through diplomatic means.”
The European Union also weighed in, with a spokesperson telling Reuters that “any threats against our member state are threats against the EU.”
In response to backlash, Lebanon’s government appeared to try to contain any possible fallout from Nasrallah’s comments.
A Cypriot source told Reuters that Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati contacted Christodoulides on Thursday to thank him for his measured diplomatic response, referring to Christodoulides as a “dear friend.”
Foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib also spoke to his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos to highlight Lebanon’s “continued reliance” on the role Cyprus has played in regional stability, according to a statement by Bou Habib’s office.
Officials in Cyprus made clear they did not want to pursue the matter further.
Source: Reuters
