The Cypriot foreign minister said the country is ready to help evacuate civilians from the Middle East if a clash between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon escalates.
Lebanon has been bracing for a response from Israel since a rocket attack killed 12 people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. Israel and the US have blamed the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for the attack. Hezbollah has denied any involvement.
Cypriot authorities have been setting up an emergency response mechanism for a possible civilian evacuation since last October, Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos told reporters.
“We have decided how the scheme will work, if necessary,” Kombos said.
“We all hope it will not be necessary, but if it is not, Cyprus will continue to operate as a safety bridge to facilitate the evacuation of civilians from any attacked areas in our area,” he added.
The eastern Mediterranean island was used to evacuate thousands of foreign nationals from Lebanon in 2006 during an outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. It was also used as a stopgap by Britain in evacuating Britons and dual nationals from Sudan last year.
