Hezbollah leader threatens attack on EU state

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Lerato Khumalo

Hezbollah is threatening to expand its attacks if Israel launches a major offensive. Even an EU state could be a target.

The threats between Israel and the terrorist organization Hezbollah are increasing. The leader of the terrorists, Hassan Nasrallah, has now issued a new threat. If Israel carries out an offensive against the terrorist groups operating in southern Lebanon, there will be a war “without rules and without limits.” He went even further: Cyprus could also become a target of its terrorists if it allows Israel to carry out attacks from its soil.

Tensions on the border between Israel and Lebanon have increased in recent days. The Israeli army announced on Wednesday that “around 15 missiles” had been fired from Lebanon at the area around the town of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. Some of these were intercepted by air defenses. The army responded with artillery fire on the launch pads.

The Israeli military said it had already attacked Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on Wednesday night. Lebanese state media reported Israeli attacks on several areas in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said four of its fighters had been killed. In retaliation, it fired “dozens of Katyusha rockets and artillery shells” at a barracks in Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel.

There is a joint military agreement between Cyprus and Israel. Both states have also carried out joint maneuvers. For the Hezbollah leader, even the takeoff of Israeli aircraft would be a reason for escalation. “Opening up Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to attack Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war,” said the Hezbollah leader. Nasrallah also warned that Hezbollah has so far only used “part” of its weapons in the conflict with Israel. “We have received new weapons,” he said, without giving any details.

According to a report in the British Guardian, Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides said that his country does not get involved in military conflicts and sees itself as part of a solution rather than a problem. He pointed to the humanitarian role of the easternmost EU state and the fact that the sea corridor had been opened to allow aid deliveries to Gaza. This was a “sign of our commitment to peace and stability.”

If Hezbollah actually dares to attack Cyprus, this would be tantamount to an attack on the EU. The Treaty of Lisbon included a military assistance agreement. “In the event of an armed attack on the territory of a Member State, the other Member States shall owe that Member State all the aid and assistance in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations,” says Article 42, paragraph 7, the so-called EU mutual assistance clause. How this would be implemented is questionable, however, because the EU does not have its own army. However, it could coordinate the activities of member states.