Israeli President Isaac Herzog will travel to Cyprus on 10 September for a one-day diplomatic visit to meet President Nikos Christodoulides, returning to the island for the first time since his January 2025 trip triggered anti-war protests.
According to Israeli media, Herzog’s office announced the visit following an invitation from Christodoulides, with the two leaders scheduled to hold private talks at the Presidential Palace before heading expanded delegation meetings focused on defense, energy, and regional security.
The upcoming summit comes against the backdrop of heightened regional friction involving Turkey and the rapid expansion of trilateral defense cooperation between Israel, Cyprus, and Greece. Security dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean have tightened following Nicosia’s acquisition of the Israeli-made Barak MX air-defense system—a move Ankara claimed could destabilise the island, but which Cypriot officials defended as essential against regional threats.
Israel has similarly bolstered ties with Athens, recently concluding a €3 billion agreement to assist in constructing a multilayered Greek air-defense network.
The meeting builds on direct contact between the two heads of state, following Christodoulides’s trip to Jerusalem in December 2025 to meet Herzog at the President’s Residence.
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