Experts say war between Israel and Hezbollah remains unlikely, and Hezbollah's mention of Cyprus would add a new dimension to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Speaking on television at a memorial service for a Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli attack, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, warned of an “unrestricted” war against Israel. Notably, the Hezbollah leader also threatened Cyprus for the first time, saying that Hezbollah could consider the country “part of the war” if it continued to allow Israel to use its airports and bases for military exercises.

According to CNN, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides immediately declared that the country “has never and will not facilitate any act of aggression or attack against any country.” The European Union (EU) also declared that Cyprus is an EU member, so “any threat to one of its member states is a threat to the EU.”

In an attempt to control the damage, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib called his Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, expressing Lebanon's "continued confidence in Cyprus' positive role in supporting stability in the region," according to Lebanese state media.

Located in the Eastern Mediterranean, on the geopolitical fault line between the Middle East and Southern Europe, Cyprus is geographically closer to the conflicts in the Middle East than to the European power centers. Diplomatic relations between Cyprus and Israel date back to 1960, after the island gained independence from British colonial rule, but Cyprus did not open an embassy in Tel Aviv until 1994. Relations became strained in the 1980s and 1990s over issues related to Israel's relations with Türkiye and the Arab-Israeli conflict, in which Cyprus sided with the Arab states and supported a Palestinian state.

In the late 1990s and 2000s, relations improved, as Israel began to shift its economic focus to the Eastern Mediterranean. Israel also looked to Cyprus as a partner to counter regional threats, particularly from groups linked to Türkiye and Iran. In recent years, Israel has used Cyprus to train its troops in case of a war with Hezbollah. Since March, Cyprus has allowed aid ships to sail from its ports; agreed to open an EU logistics center on its territory as part of an international effort to create a humanitarian aid route by sea to Gaza. Nicosia has criticized some of Israel's actions in Gaza. In April, Cyprus issued a joint statement with the UAE, condemning Israel's deadly attack on the World Central Kitchen charity group that killed seven people.

However, while experts say war between Israel and Hezbollah remains unlikely, Hezbollah’s mention of Cyprus adds a new dimension to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. It means that for the first time an EU country is at risk of being drawn directly into a wider war in Gaza.

VIET KHUE