Threats to Cyprus against assisting Israel: Hezbollah's past with Cyprus

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Hezbollah has declared that Israeli Air Force bases are considered military targets and would be attacked in the event of an all-out war with Israel. The party claims to possess information indicating that Tel Aviv might use Cypriot airports to launch its air force against Lebanon under such circumstances.

This assertion is based on recent activities; in April, Israeli fighter jets and helicopters conducted drills in Cyprus, simulating an attack on Iran, according to Israeli media. 

Similar exercises were carried out in May, mimicking a war scenario with Lebanon, although the Cypriot government denied such claims.

This situation led Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to threaten Cyprus, advising it against aiding Israel in any comprehensive war targeting Lebanon. The confrontation between Hezbollah and Cypriot authorities is not new, with a history of security and intelligence operations between them.

In July 2012, Cypriot authorities arrested Lebanese national Hossam Yaakoub in Limassol. Yaakoub, who holds Swedish citizenship, was accused of being a Hezbollah member tasked with monitoring Israeli tourists. 

In May 2015, another Lebanese individual with Canadian citizenship was detained in Larnaca. Authorities found two tons of materials for bomb-making in a rented home, and Cypriot media reported that he was preparing an attack against Israeli tourists and was affiliated with Hezbollah.

In July 2020, Cyprus extradited a man named Diab to the United States. He was apprehended upon arrival from Lebanon and was wanted by a Florida court for allegedly laundering money for Hezbollah.