The Cypriot government has moved to distance itself from comments made by Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev regarding potential assistance from Greece and Cyprus in evacuating Israeli citizens.
The remarks, initially reported by Greek public broadcaster ERT, sparked concern in Athens and Nicosia.
Regev had suggested that Israel might seek help from “ships from Athens in Greece and Larnaca in Cyprus” to transport stranded Israelis back home due to flight cancellations. Some reports also noted previous threats made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah against Cyprus for any supportive role to Israel in a potential attack on Lebanon.
Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis clarified the situation, stating, “This announcement refers to statements by Israel’s Minister of Transport regarding the utilisation of ships by the Israeli government to help Israeli citizens abroad return to Israel.” He emphasised that any such action would involve ships chartered by Israel, not Cyprus, and should not be conflated with Cyprus’s “ESTIA” plan for evacuating citizens from dangerous zones.
Letymbiotis added, “We note that at these critical times, the positions of the Republic of Cyprus are expressed by the Republic itself in the most official way.”
Activist organisations have expressed concerns that the ships could be used to facilitate the return of army reservists to Israel, thus indirectly further implicating Cyprus in the war.
Regarding the humanitarian corridor to Gaza, the spokesperson acknowledged that security concerns were paramount but affirmed Cyprus’s commitment to continue as long as conditions permit.
Cypriot Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades confirmed that the government is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East. He noted that while some airlines have temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv, others continue to operate as normal.
Hermes Airports reported that cancellations of scheduled flights to Tel Aviv are being offset by additional flights from companies maintaining their programmes.
Two European airlines, Aegean and Wizz Air, have suspended flights from Larnaca to Tel Aviv until 11 August, whilst flights to Beirut remain unaffected for the time being.
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