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NATIONAL SECURITY

Cypriot ambassador: Joint military exercises with Israel "do not target Lebanon"


Cypriot ambassador: Joint military exercises with Israel

Cypriot Ambassador to Lebanon Panayiotis Kyriacou (l.) is received by caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, June 1, 2022. Photo (Credit: Twitter/@Mofalebanon)

BEIRUT — Joint military exercises conducted by Cyprus and Israel “do not target Lebanon,” Cypriot Ambassador to Lebanon Panayiotis Kyriacou told caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Wednesday, the state-run National News Agency reported. Multiple Israeli media outlets have indicated in recent days that these military exercises were intended to simulate a war against Hezbollah.

Here’s what we know:

    • According to the NNA, Kyriacou was received by Bou Habib "to clarify the issue of joint military exercises with Israel.”

    • “[The ambassador] denied what the Israeli media reported, namely that these exercises were directed against Lebanon,” the NNA reported.

    • The Cypriot ambassador also indicated that these exercises "are intended to train the border guards to defend Cyprus,” adding that the Cypriot Defense Ministry “will clarify these operations tomorrow, after the end of the exercises.”

    • The Israeli army announced on Monday the launch of these maneuvers in Cyprus, as part of a major exercise campaign launched in recent weeks. An official statement from Israeli forces, quoted by newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, had said that a "variety of emergency scenarios" will be simulated, while military sources in Tel Aviv, quoted in several Israeli media reports, had referred to "war operations against Hezbollah, including a ground invasion". The Associated Press reported that according to the Israeli Army, dozens of planes carried out “long-range” airstrike simulation exercises.

    • Lebanon is still technically in a state of war with Israel, and security incidents and violations of the airspaces of both countries take place regularly. In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah clashed between July and August. This 33-day conflict began with a major attack launched on July 12, 2006 by Hezbollah aimed to kidnap Israeli soldiers who were later found dead.

BEIRUT — Joint military exercises conducted by Cyprus and Israel “do not target Lebanon,” Cypriot Ambassador to Lebanon Panayiotis Kyriacou told caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Wednesday, the state-run National News Agency reported. Multiple Israeli media outlets have indicated in recent days that these military exercises were intended to simulate a war against...