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Lebanon Scrambles to Contain Fallout from Nasrallah’s Threat to Cyprus

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos. (Lebanon’s National News Agency)
Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos. (Lebanon’s National News Agency)
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Lebanon Scrambles to Contain Fallout from Nasrallah’s Threat to Cyprus

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos. (Lebanon’s National News Agency)
Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos. (Lebanon’s National News Agency)

Lebanon scrambled to contain the fallout from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s threat that Cyprus could be implicated in a wider conflict if the island nation allows Israel to use its ports and airports to target Lebanon.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib contacted his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos, quoting him as saying that Nicosia was in no way willing to become involved in the war in the region.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said Bou Habib told Kombos that Lebanon always looks to Cyprus’ positive role in supporting stability in the region.

Kombos reiterated a statement by the Cypriot president on Wednesday during which he said he hoped his country would be part of the solution, not the problem.

The FMs highlighted the depth of relations between their countries and the importance of bolstering bilateral cooperation for the interests of their peoples.

"The Republic of Cyprus is in no way involved in war conflict," Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides had said soon after Nasrallah’s speech, describing his comments as "not pleasant".

The European Union also weighed in. "Any threats against our member state are threats against the EU," a spokesperson said.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati contacted Christodoulides on Thursday to thank him for his measured diplomatic response, referring to Christodoulides as a "dear friend", a Cypriot source said.

An official Lebanese source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cypriot authorities were "understanding" of the situation, stressing that bilateral relations with Lebanon will not be impacted.

Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis repeated that any suggestion that Cyprus – either through its infrastructure or territory - would be involved in any military operation in Lebanon is "totally groundless."

Officials in Nicosia made clear they did not want to pursue the matter further, reported Reuters.

Some Lebanese media outlets reported earlier Thursday that the Cypriot embassy was closed but the mission later clarified that they were not accepting visa applications for administrative updates and the embassy will be introducing an appointments-based system as of Monday for visa applications.

Cyprus and Lebanon have had close and historic relations for decades and the island became a refuge for thousands of Lebanese who resided on the island during Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war. Many Lebanese citizens moved again to Cyprus following the historic economic meltdown in Lebanon that started in late 2019.

It has lobbied its EU partners to offer Lebanon financial assistance, and recently set up a maritime corridor to dispatch humanitarian aid to famine-threatened Palestinians in Gaza.

In recent years, Cyprus has enjoyed increasingly tight relations with Israel and the island has hosted joint Israeli-Cypriot military exercises, but has not been involved in any military operations.

Nasrallah said his group has information that the Israel’s military is conducting maneuvers in Cyprus in mountainous areas similar to those of Lebanon adding that they also use Cypriot airports.

He added that Hezbollah has information that Israel believes that in case an all-out war breaks out, Hezbollah will target its airports and for that reason Israel might use "in its war against Lebanon Cypriot airports and bases."

"The Cypriot government should be careful that opening the airports and bases in Cyprus for the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon, means that the Cypriot government has become part of the war," Nasrallah said. "The resistance (Hezbollah) will deal with it (Cyprus) as part of the war."

‘Preemptive warning’

Riad Kahwaji, founder and CEO of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), said Nasrallah’s remarks were a "preemptive warning".

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that there was no evidence that Tel Aviv had attacked Lebanon or was ready to attack it from military bases in Cyprus.

Moreover, he noted that Israel often holds military drills with Cyprus. He instead suggested that Nasrallah’s statements were an indirect threat to the British bases on the island from where attacks are being launched against the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.

Sami Nader, founder of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, said Nasrallah’s remarks undermine Lebanon’s voice and violate its relations with other countries.

They go against Lebanon’s historic stance and long history of relations with Cyprus, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He noted how Cyprus had welcomed Lebanese people during the civil war and had acted as their window to for the world.

Former head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt stressed on the X platform that Cyprus had for decades been a safe refuge for the Lebanese people in times of plight.

Head of the Kataeb party MP Sami Gemayel slammed Nasrallah’s remarks, saying they were an extension of how Hezbollah is exploiting the South and tying it to conflicts that have nothing to do with Lebanon.

Kataeb MP Elias Hankash said Cyprus had long been a refuge for the Lebanese people.

"Nasrallah is insisting on breaking all of Lebanon’s friendships and threatening Europe so that Lebanon ends up completely isolated," he added.

Lebanese Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani described Nasrallah’s statements as "very dangerous", noting that after Hezbollah was done threatening "sisterly Gulf countries, leading to its isolation, it is now expanding this threat to include Cyprus and the EU by extension."

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Arab World

Israel Crosses Litani by Fire, Tests New Border Strip

An Israeli military vehicle moves inside Lebanese territory (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle moves inside Lebanese territory (Reuters)
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Israel Crosses Litani by Fire, Tests New Border Strip

An Israeli military vehicle moves inside Lebanese territory (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle moves inside Lebanese territory (Reuters)

Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon has entered a new phase after the Israeli army announced operations north of the Litani River, as heavy vehicles crossed toward the outskirts of eastern Zawtar.

The move signaled a shift from limited strikes to an effort to impose new facts on the ground north of the river.

Israeli Army Radio said forces from the Egoz Unit and the Golani Reconnaissance Unit carried out an operation lasting about a week on the outskirts of eastern Zawtar, after heavy military vehicles crossed the Litani.

It said the operation aimed to reach areas from which Hezbollah had fired rockets, mortar shells, and drones at Israeli forces.

Israel’s Channel 12 said the operation lasted 10 days and sought to reach the launch zone used by Hezbollah rockets and drones. Channel 14 reported engineering work above the Litani that could allow armored and infantry forces to cross in the future if needed.

The developments came with an Israeli media push. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video backing the soldiers involved, saying: “We are proud of our heroic fighters, the best in the world, who continue to intensify operations in Lebanon.”

Israel also widened evacuation warnings in the western Bekaa. At 4 a.m., residents of Sohmor were told to evacuate before heavy strikes began.

Later in the morning, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee twice issued urgent warnings to residents of Arzoun, Tayr Debba, Bazouriyeh, and Housh, telling them to leave and move 1,000 meters away toward open areas.

Zawtar, a military node north of the Litani

A local source in southern Lebanon told Asharq Al-Awsat that Zawtar is “one of the most sensitive points for Israel, given its geographic location and proximity to the border.” The source said it is “the closest point north of the Litani to the Israeli border compared with other areas, and is also exposed on the ground to drone activity.”

The source said Zawtar is “a strategic node” linking western Zawtar, Yohmor, and Arnoun. “Any control over it would effectively mean the surrounding villages fall militarily,” the source said, adding that Israel regards the area as “a key zone for Hezbollah drone activity” because it is “geographically open and lacks natural obstacles” that limit drone movement.

Israel seeks to recreate the border strip, but major expansion remains costly

Retired Brig. Gen. Bassam Yassin told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel’s announcement that its forces had crossed the Litani toward Zawtar “cannot be separated from the nature of the military zone where Israeli forces have been operating for weeks.”

He said “the clashes had effectively begun about a week ago in Wadi Raj,” the corridor linking the Litani to Zawtar, while eastern and western Zawtar and Yohmor fall “within what is known as the area under the yellow line, meaning within the scope of Israeli military operations.”

Yassin said Zawtar’s importance for Israel “stems from its strategic location,” because it protects the Israeli presence along the Taybeh, Deir Seryan axis and gives Israel fire control over wide areas north of the Litani.

“If Israel manages to entrench its presence on the heights of Beaufort Castle, Yohmor and Zawtar, it would be able to place the areas of Nabatieh, Kfar Tebnit, Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Nabatieh al-Tahta under direct fire pressure, given the elevated nature of the area,” he said.

He said the scene “closely resembles a reproduction of the border strip that existed before 2000,” when Arnoun, Yohmor, Beaufort Castle (Qal’at al-Shaqif), and Zawtar were under direct Israeli military pressure, and towns such as Kfar Tebnit were almost emptied of residents because they were constantly targeted by fire.

Yassin said Israel “has already announced the expansion of its ground operations,” but military estimates suggest the move may remain limited to areas Israel considers necessary for its security. North of the Litani, he said, is Hezbollah’s second line of defense, and any broad advance there would mean “a harsh and costly confrontation.”

“If Israel is able to consolidate its control in this area, this could later open the door to a wider expansion toward the Zahrani, which would effectively mean turning the area stretching from the Zahrani to the international border into an isolated military strip. But I do not believe the Israeli decision has reached that point yet,” he said.

Yassin tied any major shift to the fate of political negotiations.

“If negotiations fail and Israel receives an international green light, then we can speak of an entirely different phase,” he said.

What about the western Bekaa?

In the western Bekaa, Yassin said Israel is pursuing a policy of “pressure through fire, warnings and gradual displacement.”

He said strikes are focused on areas believed to be used for launching drones or rockets, while other areas are sometimes bombed without warning when direct field targets are available.

“The warnings that targeted Sohmor, Zellaya, and their surroundings fall within an attempt to empty the area of residents, because evacuating villages facilitates any later military movement and increases pressure on Hezbollah’s support base,” he said.

Yassin said current indicators do not suggest Israel intends to launch a wide ground operation in the western Bekaa or north of the Litani unless negotiations collapse completely.

“I believe Israel currently has room to maneuver to reach some of the points it has identified within the yellow zone, but it does not have sufficient capacity to expand its ground occupation on a large scale. That is why it is currently focusing on threats, shelling, and emptying areas of their residents,” he said.

Military escalation and direct targeting of civil defense

On the ground, Israeli military escalation continued in the south, where civil defense personnel in Nabatieh had been targeted. The General Directorate of Civil Defense said two members of its Nabatieh regional center were killed and a third was wounded in an Israeli strike while they were trying to rescue someone wounded in an earlier Israeli strike in Nabatieh.

Israeli strikes also hit several southern towns, including Hinniyeh, Khirbet Selm, eastern Zawtar, and Nabatieh, while Mansouri and Majdal Zoun came under shelling.

Three people from Aadchit were killed in a strike on a car in Doueir while transporting a wounded person. A Syrian man was killed, and his wife was wounded when a motorcycle was targeted in Tayr Debba. A drone caused injuries in Mansouri. An archaeological area near an army position in Ras al-Ain was also hit.

Israeli strikes on Nabatieh, Jibsheet, and Kafra caused deaths.

Hezbollah said Tuesday it had attacked two Merkava tanks in Bayyada and Khirbet al-Manara, a gathering of soldiers near Deir Seryan, and a soldier with a drone opposite Houla.

Arab World

Iraqi Authorities Make Late Admission of Makeshift Israeli Base in Desert

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)
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Iraqi Authorities Make Late Admission of Makeshift Israeli Base in Desert

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)

Iraqi authorities are still trying to contain the embarrassment caused by reports that an Israeli force was stationed in a desert area between Najaf and Karbala in early March, taking what observers describe as belated security measures while issuing conflicting accounts of the incident.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Israel had set up a secret makeshift military base in the Iraqi desert to support its war against Iran, which began on Feb. 28, 2026.

Citing US officials, the newspaper said Israel built the site to support its air campaign against Iran and carried out airstrikes on Iraqi forces that nearly uncovered it early in the war.

On Tuesday, Iraqi army Chief of Staff General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah arrived in the Al-Nukhaib district of Karbala with a senior military delegation to review security conditions.

The Defense Ministry said the visit was aimed at following up on security preparations and assessing the latest developments in the area.

The statements by security bodies and officials appeared increasingly contradictory. On Tuesday, Karbala Operations Commander Ali al-Hashemi acknowledged that an Israeli force had been present inside Iraqi territory in early March.

Media outlets quoted Hashemi as saying the force in the Najaf desert in March was Israeli and “did not remain for more than 48 hours.”

Tahseen al-Khafaji, the Defense Ministry’s media director, said the “unknown force” had been carrying American weapons and had been in the area for only a few hours. He denied that it had set up a military base.

‘Imposing sovereignty’

In a related move, the Popular Mobilization Forces announced on Tuesday the launch of an operation to “impose sovereignty” the Najaf and Karbala desert. The operation was ordered by the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is being supervised by Yarallah, according to a statement.

Ali al-Hamdani, commander of the PMF’s Middle Euphrates operations, said the operation began along four axes in the Najaf and Karbala desert to secure the road linking the city of Karbala to Al-Nukhaib.

He said the forces were conducting search-and-comb operations as deep as 70 kilometers, under strict military plans and with a high level of professionalism.

Denial

Iraq’s Joint Operations Command on Monday denied the presence of any unauthorized bases or forces on Iraqi territory.

“We are closely following statements and reports about the presence of unauthorized bases and forces on Iraqi territory, specifically in the Karbala desert east of Al-Nukhaib and Najaf,” it said.

It said the issue stemmed from an incident on March 5 when Iraqi security forces from Karbala and Najaf moved into the area and clashed with unknown, unauthorized detachments backed at the time by aircraft.

One Iraqi security fighter was killed, two others were wounded, and a vehicle was disabled.

It said its units and commands, under the direction and planning of the Joint Operations Command, were continuing regular searches of all sectors, especially desert areas, up to Iraq’s international borders. It stressed that no unauthorized bases or forces had been present since the March incident.

Criticism

The revelation that an Israeli force had been present on Iraqi territory triggered criticism of the government and security leadership.

The Joint Operations Command said some parties were trying to exploit the incident politically and were making “one-upmanship” statements without knowing the facts.

It said such statements harmed Iraq’s reputation and that of its security leadership, which “confirms, indeed asserts,” that there are currently no unauthorized forces or bases on Iraqi territory.

Former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi sharply criticized authorities on Monday over the breach.

“A state in whose name slogans of sovereignty and security preservation are raised must not be surprised by incidents of this scale on its territory, nor should it be run according to the logic of media images and propaganda victories. Reality reveals a dangerous fragility in control, decision-making, and oversight,” Kadhimi said in a post on X.

He said Iraq’s protection cannot be secured through speeches or political promotion campaigns, but by building a state that owns its decision, imposes its authority over all its territory, subjects weapons to the law, and prevents the country from becoming an open arena for settling regional and international conflicts.

Arab World

Syria Arrests Former Assad-era Air Force Chief of Staff

FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
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Syria Arrests Former Assad-era Air Force Chief of Staff

FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo

Syrian authorities said Tuesday that they had arrested a former air force chief of staff under Bashar al-Assad who was sanctioned by the European Union including for his role in chemical attacks.

Since Assad's December 2024 overthrow, Syria's new authorities have periodically announced the arrest of military and security officials involved in atrocities during Syria's more than decade-long civil war.

Last month, authorities launched the first trials for such senior figures as part of their commitment to providing justice for victims and their families.

An interior ministry statement announced the arrest of Jayez al-Moussa, "chief of staff for the air force during the era of the former regime" in a security operation.

Moussa served for more than four decades in Syria's military under the Assad dynasty.

After the civil war erupted in 2011, he took control of the 20th division, which ran six military airports, before becoming air force chief of staff in early 2015.

For a time, he was responsible for coordinating with Russian forces, which intervened militarily in Syria's conflict on Assad's behalf later that year.

After retiring in 2016, Moussa was named governor of northeast Syria's Hasakah province.

He hails from an Arab tribe in the eastern Deir Ezzor province and is known for his absolute loyalty to Assad and his calls to crush the former leader's adversaries.

The EU added Moussa to its sanctions list in 2017, saying he was responsible "for the violent repression of the civilian population in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons attacks" during his tenure as air force chief.

Syrian authorities have recently announced the arrest of a number of Assad-era figures, including two former generals detained on Friday, one of whom is accused of involvement in a 2013 chemical attack on a Damascus suburb.