Why has Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah threatened Cyprus, how is it linked to Middle East crisis?

In a speech this week, Lebanon-based Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that a war with “no rules and no red lines” would be waged if the Jewish state dared to act against the group.

Hezbollah is an Iran-backed terrorist group that’s based in Lebanon. It controls vast swathes of Lebanese territories and is vastly influential in the country’s politics. Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War in October 2023, Hezbollah has clashed with Israel’s on its northern border on a near-daily basis. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been displaced for months from the fighting.

“The enemy knows well that we have prepared ourselves for the worst… and that no place across the Zionist entity will be spared by our missiles and drones,” said Nasrallah in remarks carried by Hezbollah-aligned Al-Manar TV.

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Along with Israel, Nasrallah also warned the European nation of Cyprus that it would not be spared if it aided Israel in the country’s escalation of the conflict.

The Hezbollah is the largest of Iran-backed armed groups in the region. While Nasrallah has maintained that it has more than 100,000 fighters, the public assessment of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) says it has around 45,000 personnel. The Hezbollah is also reported to have an arsenal of around 150,000 missiles and rockets of various types. In the monthslong conflict with Israel, it has fired around 5,000 rockets in addition to anti-tank guided missiles and other incendiaries into Israel that have set ablaze large swathes in northern Israel in recent weeks.

‘We’ll treat Cyprus as part of war….’

In the warning to Cyprus, Nasrallah said that Hezbollah believes that Israel could use the Cyprus airport for operations.

If Israel is allowed to use facilities in Cyprus for military purposes, then that would mean the country would be at war with Hezbollah, said Nasrallah.

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“I draw the attention of the Cypriot government that we have information that the Israeli enemy is conducting manoeuvres in preparation for a war with Lebanon, and that airports Cyprus could be opened to Israeli fighter jets. Hereby, and in one word, I call upon the Cypriot government to be aware that if it opens its airports to the Israeli enemy during a potential war, we will treat Cyprus as a part of the war,” said Nasrallah.

The European Union (EU) has come to the defence of Cyprus and has said that a threat to a member state is a threat against the whole bloc.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides stressed that the country is not involved in the war and that lines of communication are open with Lebanon and Iran.

“The statements are not pleasant, but they do not correspond in any way to what is being attempted, to present an image that Cyprus is involved in the war operations. In no way whatsoever,” said Christodoulides, and went on to mention the country’s role in humanitarian operations.

Christodoulides further said, “The Republic of Cyprus is not part of the problem. The Republic of Cyprus is part of the solution and our role in this, as demonstrated, for example, through the humanitarian corridor, is recognized not only by the Arab world but by the international community as a whole.”

Why has Hezbollah warned Cyprus of war?

Cyprus, a European country part of the EU, is located in the Mediterranean Sea. It’s an island state that lies between the continental Europe and the Middle East.

In recent decades, Cyprus and Israel have developed a close relationship. This is a reversal of the previous stance of Cyprus when it sided with the Arab world and supported the Palestinian statehood.

The terrain of Cyprus is similar to that of Lebanon and the Israeli military has used the island to hold exercises in recent years there to prepare for a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to CNN.

The Israeli and Cypriot forces have also conducted joint military exercises in 2022 and 2023.

While these may be irritants for Hezbollah, a major irritant may be the British airbase in the country that the US and British air forces have used to carry out attacks against the Yemen-based Houthis, who have terrorised the maritime trade and transit in the region by attacking and hijacking ships.

The British and American air forces have used the Royal Air Force’s Akrotiri (RAF Akrotiri) base in Cyprus to carry out operations in the Middle East. As the Houthis are part of the Iran-sponsored ‘Axis of Resistance’ which is opposed to Israel and the United States, the usage of the island’s territories against one of the Axis’ members may have led the Hezbollah to threaten the country.

Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other groups are part of the Axis. They are united in their backing from Iran and opposition to the existence of Israel and enmity with the United States.