Israel looks to its “close” ally in the Mediterranean as its conflict with the Palestinians risks spilling over to the wider region.
Tel Aviv would look for military support from Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration if it is attacked, the Greek daily Kathimerini quoted Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev as saying. This came as Iran vowed “severe punishment” for Israel after the assassination last Wednesday of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran. Commenting on the reported Israeli minister’s remarks, Documentonews said that Regev’s statement put Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration once again at the forefront of the conflict in the Middle East, just a few months after the air exercise that took place south of Crete between the Greek and Israeli air forces and which served as “rehearsal” for the attack launched by Israel in Yemen a few weeks later. However, according to the outlet, a senior government source in the Greek Cypriot administration remarked that they cannot and do not intend to provide military aid to Israel or any other state.
Around 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly 10 months since Israel launched a brutal onslaught against the Gaza Strip that began on Oct. 7 last year following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. The assault has led to increased regional tensions, with the latest escalation occurring last week when Haniyeh was assassinated during a visit to Iran.
Turkish Cypriots have been alarmed by heightened military activity in the south, especially amid the Palestine-Israel conflict. Following reports that British and U.S. bases on the island support Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar accused the Greek Cypriot administration of endangering the island’s 50-year peace period by becoming a logistical base serving Western interests. Britain has two bases on the island of Cyprus, considered independent territories, allowing it to maintain a permanent military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and conduct highly confidential military and intelligence activities. The bases host an extensive network of British and U.S. intelligence facilities, according to Declassified U.K., which reports on the work of military and intelligence agencies. Türkiye, too, has recently hit out at attempts by the Greek Cypriot administration to build a naval base on the southeastern coast in collaboration with Greece.
