Cyprus says it is on standby to help in Middle East evacuations if needed

Cyprus is on standby to assist in the evacuation of civilians from the Middle East if a standoff between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon escalates, its Foreign Minister said on Monday, Reuters reports.

Lebanon has been bracing for a response from Israel since a rocket strike killed 12 children and teens in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. Israel and the United States have blamed Lebanese group, Hezbollah, for the strike. Hezbollah has denied any involvement.

Cypriot authorities have had an emergency response mechanism in place for a possible evacuation of civilians since last October, Foreign Minister, Constantinos Kombos, told reporters.

“We have established the manner in which the scheme will operate, if needed,” Kombos said.

“We are all hoping it won’t be necessary, but should that not happen, Cyprus will continue to operate as a safety bridge in facilitating the departure of civilians from any embattled zone in our area,” he added.

The east Mediterranean island was used to evacuate thousands of foreign nationals from Lebanon in 2006 during a flare-up in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. It was also used as a stopover by Britain in evacuating Britons and dual citizens from Sudan last year.

Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas, the group which has been running Gaza and whose attack on southern Israel last October triggered the current Israeli offensive in the Palestinian enclave.

READ: Lebanon warns of regional war in response to major Israeli attack