Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s speech on Wednesday triggered a wave of international and local reactions. Not only did Nasrallah reiterate his threats against Israel, but he also targeted Cyprus, a member of the European Union.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides responded firmly to Nasrallah’s threats, stating that “Cyprus is not involved” in the war between Israel, Gaza and southern Lebanon. He emphasized, “The Republic of Cyprus is part of the solution and not part of the problem,” in remarks published by the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Thursday night.
Christodoulides criticized Nasrallah’s speech as misleading, saying it falsely implicated Cyprus in military activities. “This is completely contrary to reality,” he stated.
He further highlighted Cyprus’s role in facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is “recognized by the Arab world and the entire international community.”
Similarly, former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt expressed concern over Nasrallah’s remarks, noting on X (formerly Twitter), “Cyprus has been a refuge for Lebanese for decades in times of distress.”
On Wednesday evening, the Cypriot Ambassador to Israel, Kornelios Korneliou, assured that Cyprus would respond to Nasrallah’s threats and awaited an official reaction from Nicosia. In an interview with the Israeli news site Ynetnews, Korneliou reiterated Cyprus’s non-involvement in the conflict and mentioned the close coordination with Israel to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. He noted, “Relations between Israel and Cyprus have never been stronger.”
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari commented on Hezbollah’s drone that captured images of “sensitive” areas in Haifa, stating that the army did not intercept it to avoid endangering civilians. In response to Nasrallah’s claims of having precise data on Israeli military positions, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi dismissed these as largely inaccurate. He asserted, “We are preparing solutions to face Hezbollah, which will be confronted with our powerful capabilities at the appropriate time.”
Locally, Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel criticized Nasrallah’s strategy of linking southern Lebanon to external conflicts. He remarked, “The violation of sovereignty has destroyed Lebanon and the future of its generations for decades.” He added that the Lebanese people “do not want wars; they only want life.”
