Lebanon: coverage from WarNews24/7

They left Cyprus unfortified and now they are running: In Lebanon, officers of the Cypriot EYP - H. Nasrallah threatens to send Israel to the "Stone Age"

Embarrassing Stoltenberg statements - What did he say?

A delegation of the Cyprus Intelligence Service led by its Deputy Director arrived earlier today in the capital of Beirut to meet with Lebanon's Director General of General Security, Major General Elias al-Baysari as well as several other senior Lebanese officials.

The reason; Of course the serious threats made recently by the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.

Cyprus gives assurances that it is not going to give bases to Israel to carry out airstrikes in Lebanon.

But the Hezbollah leader's threat and the recent exercises of the Russian Army in Tartus and Latakia show that "something else" is happening behind the scenes.

Hence the recent exercises of the Russian and Syrian Army in the Golan Heights and in the country's ports where they activated all the anti-ship missile arrays as well as the S-400 and S-300 anti-aircraft systems.

Read also: For the first time since 1970, Russian warships in Suez-Syria-Tobruk: Waiting for an impressive Russian strike in Ukraine!

This is the possibility of the Israel-Hezbollah war becoming general with the participation of thousands of pro-Iranian Shiite forces and the involvement of Syria.

There are already "crazy numbers" of Shiites who want to help Hezbollah in the coming war. From Yemen and Iran to Syria.

In such a case, indeed Israel will need the help of Cyprus.

There is something else that the political leaders of Cyprus never predicted (or simply did not want):

The question now is not what Hezbollah wants but what Iran, Russia and Turkey want in the region.

Unfortunately they left Cyprus completely unfortified and now they are running.

What anti-aircraft system have they bought in recent years for fear of conflict with Turkey? None.

Which anti-ballistic system? Also none. As if Turkey doesn't have hundreds of ballistic missiles.

What security guarantees did Cyprus receive from the US, Israel in the event of an attack due to the Israeli exercises on the island? Today the NATO Secretary General made it clear: Another Cyprus and another... Ukraine.

Unfortunately, we say it again, that in Cyprus - as in Greece - they have not realized that the power relations worldwide are changing and things that we previously considered unimaginable, we will see become reality.

If Turkey, Russia or Iran really want to hit the British bases in Akrotiri or any other base, then Hezbollah will do it. Because the new anti-Western and anti-NATO front is united.

Read also: Israel: Hezbollah will hit these targets in Cyprus with ballistic missiles - Russian analyst: "Britain's bases must be destroyed"

H. Nasrallah came back a few hours ago and with a new message showed him the Israeli facilities that Hezbollah has targeted, promising to send Israel "to the Stone Age".

Stoltenberg: NATO will not protect Cyprus from Hezbollah!

NATO will not protect Cyprus in the event of an attack by Hezbollah: In an interview he gave to the American network CNN, the head of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, made statements about the recent threats from the Lebanese armed organization Hezbollah.

Stoltenberg emphasized that Cyprus is not a member of NATO, implying that it does not enjoy the protection of the North Atlantic alliance.

"Cyprus is not a NATO ally. I don't think it's right to speculate, but first of all, I think it's important to prevent this from happening," Stoltenberg said when asked if NATO would mobilize forces in the event of an attack on the island by the Shiite group.

Cyprus says it is not a member of NATO. Why; Ukraine is? And debauchery has limits...

British Government: The Bases have not hosted Israeli personnel or aircraft

British bases in Cyprus have not hosted any Israeli military personnel or aircraft since before the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a British Government source said.

When asked by the KYPE, after the Hezbollah leader's warning against Cyprus, the source emphasized that "the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus have not hosted any Israeli military personnel or aircraft since before the start of the Israel-Hamas war."

The same source conveyed the concern prevailing in London about the situation on the so-called "Blue Line", i.e. the border between Lebanon and Israel, noting the need to respect the relevant resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council.

London recognizes and supports the necessary stabilizing role played by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Armed Forces.

In the meantime, invited by the CYPE to give an official position from the British government on this threat, the representative of the Foreign Office referred to the tension between Israel and Hezbollah stating that "the risk of miscalculation on the border of Lebanon with Israel is serious . We urge all involved to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation."

The only hope is communication channels...

Communication channels were activated after the recent reports of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, concerning Cyprus, and the positions have now become much softer, as competent sources told RIK.

At the same time, the same sources added, media reports, which are close to Hezbollah, are now downplaying the issue.

Nevertheless, the same circles pointed out that vigilance continues on Nicosia's side, as well as diplomatic contacts.

At the same time, Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos expressed his thanks to the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borel. With his post on the "X" platform, Mr. Kombos points out the immediate response, support and solidarity of the Union towards Cyprus.

The two men had previously had a telephone conversation yesterday.

Cyprus' ties with Israel

Cyprus–Israel diplomatic relations began in 1960, following the island's independence from British colonialism, but Cyprus did not open an embassy in Tel Aviv until 1994. Relations soured in the 1980s and 1990s over issues such as the then-close ties of Israel with Turkey and the Arab-Israeli conflict, in which Cyprus sided with the Arab states and supported the Palestinian state entity.

Ties revived in the late 1990s and 2000s as Israel began to turn to the Eastern Mediterranean for economic partnerships, especially after the discovery of natural gas in the region. Experts say Israel has also sought Cyprus as a partner to fend off regional threats, particularly from Turkey and groups linked to Iran.

Israel has in recent years used Cypriot soil to train its troops for a possible war with Hezbollah. The terrain of Cyprus is similar to that of Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, according to Israeli media.

In 2022, the IDF conducted a joint military exercise with Cypriot forces. Part of the joint training focused on combat on multiple fronts and focused on the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israeli media reported. Their last exercises were held in May 2023 in Cyprus.

The Cypriot presidency told X on Thursday that the country " never facilitated and will not facilitate any aggressive action or attack against any country".

Thousands of citizens leave Lebanon: How Israel's attack will happen and how Hezbollah will react - The US commitment

Americans warned of impending war within three weeks

On June 20, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who is also Vice-Chair for the Senate Intelligence Committee, sounded the alarm, saying that "a very dangerous war is simmering in Middle East, between Israel and Hezbollah" with Iran's involvement on the horizon.

Rubio has been warning of this impending war for months since April of this year.

How will Israel's attack begin?

Discussions over the past 24 to 48 hours between US and Israeli officials have raised dire concerns among members of the Biden administration, who believe that an Israeli campaign against Hezbollah, beginning with large-scale air operations over Lebanon and the Southwest Syria, is imminent and may even take place in the next three weeks.

Already the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait is calling all its citizens, who are in Lebanon, to leave the country, amid fears of an escalation and a transition to a state of war, between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a report by the Jerusalem Post, today, June 22 .

At the same time, senior Canadian officials are planning a major removal operation for the approximately 45,000 Canadian citizens currently in Lebanon.

In addition, according to a report by CNN, top American officials, such as Anthony Blinken, Jake Sullivan
(US national security adviser) and Brett McGurk (White House coordinator for Middle East affairs) pledge that in the event of a war in the north with Hezbollah , the US is ready to provide Israel with all support.

According to the report, the pledge was conveyed to Israel during a series of meetings attended by those mentioned as well as Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, along with the head of the National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi.

Ominous predictions, in Israel Amos Hochstein, advisor to the American President

The fears prevailing in Israel are partly justified. Specifically, Israeli Professor Amatsia Baram (Haifa University Professor Emeritus, Middle East History and Director of the Center for Iraq Studies), stated that 1/3 of Haifa's houses would be demolished in any war against Hezbollah, while thousands of rockets they will not leave much of Haifa.

In addition, according to a report by Haretz on June 21 , "the country's electrical grid is vulnerable and an attack by Hezbollah could cause its total collapse . " The statement was made by Shaul Goldstein, CEO of NOGA, which manages and oversees Israel's electrical systems on behalf of the Israeli government. According to Goldstein, "We are not ready for a real war, in my eyes we live in a fantasy world."

And he adds, "if Nasrallah wants to paralyze Israel's power grid, all he has to do is pick up the phone and call the head of Beirut's power grid, which is identical to Israel's... The good news is that we have invested a lot in protection, working with the Israel Electricity Company".

Hezbollah is indeed able to "bring Israel to its knees", since according to a Reuters report, it has more than 150 thousand missiles. These include precision, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles as well as unmanned aerial vehicles.

Given Nasrallah's intention to even carry out a pre-emptive strike against Israel by invading the Galilee, things get even more serious.

For example, Hezbollah has 5000 Zelzal-2 unguided, 210 km missiles, as well as hundreds of Fateh-110 guided missiles with a range of more than 300 km, weapons that can carry out Nasrallah's threats to strike Cyprus.

Amid the developments, Israeli-born Amos Hochstein, an adviser to US President Biden, traveled to Israel as well as Lebanon. In Israel he met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Isaac Hertzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the leader of the official Knesset opposition, as well as Benny Gantz, a former member of the war council.

According to Haaretz, Hochstein warned that in the event of a war with Hezbollah, Iran could launch a large-scale attack, the scale of which would be difficult to deter, considering the simultaneous attack by Hezbollah.

He apparently referred to the possibility of air defense saturation of the Israeli anti-ballistic shield, consisting of
the Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow 3 systems.

Lebanese MP Ibrahim Moussawi, who is affiliated with Hezbollah, said that "if they want to come to Lebanon, they are
welcome, Ahlan wa Sahlan {Hello and welcome}, in Arabic...here they cannot handle the situation in Gaza and they want to come here? In Gaza they don't fight, they just bomb and send drones. But if they want to come, we are waiting for them impatiently, we have made preparations, which they don't even think about".

Israel vs. Hezbollah: The Pros and Cons of the Jewish State

According to Israel Radar, a new war in Lebanon will present a number of challenges to Israel, yet the IDF has a
number of advantages. Hezbollah is the world's largest terrorist organization, its power surpassing even some national armies. As we mentioned above it has a huge missile arsenal, as well as some naval and anti-aircraft assets.

The organization can mobilize tens of thousands of fighters, including the elite Radwan unit, which enjoys
top-notch training and weaponry. In addition, the fighting in Lebanon is idiosyncratic, due to the uneven terrain, which Hezbollah fighters have been familiar with since 2006 and before.

Finally, the organization is certain that it will be supported by both Iran and Russia in terms of armaments and logistics, but also in terms of information far beyond what is already available in the current phase.

Regarding the strengths of the Israeli forces, Israel Radar draws some conclusions, which we do not agree with. The page mentions firepower from a part of the Israeli army, as well as combat experience from Gaza. It also dangerously downplays the role the organization played in the war against ISIS, with the page referring to the organization's "war experience of 8-9 years ago against [ISIS's] subordinate forces."

According to Israel Radar, "the organization has nothing against the Israeli Air Force." If the particular positions echo the views of the particular page, fine, otherwise if they echo the positions of the Israeli army, then the IDF is ready to invade Lebanon again, disregarding the lessons learned in 2006.

Then, no matter how much the Israeli air force and artillery struck, the Hezbollah fighters undaunted trapped the Israeli Merkavas and hit them with Kornet anti-tank missiles. As far as the experience of the tunnel war is concerned, maybe the Israeli army did get an experience in Gaza, but again another Hamas and another Hezbollah.

In conclusion, Israel remains faithful to its promises to hit the "tentacles of the octopus" , meaning Iran's offshoots in the Middle East, namely Hamas and especially Hezbollah. Netanyahu failed to involve the US in a war against Iran, to the extent that he was pressured by the Biden administration not to respond to the barrage of missiles fired by Iran on April 13 of this year.

Let us recall that America's involvement in a war against Iran and the overthrow of the theocratic regime has been
a crusade of the Israeli prime minister since 2008, when he had the well-known Homeric quarrel with the newly elected Barack Obama.

Necessarily and having failed to take the war to Iran, Israel is turning to the "tentacles" with the ultimate goal of
weakening Iran's military presence on the border with Israel.

Despite the concerns of American officials, it seems unlikely that Iran will directly engage in strikes against Israel, since, as recent events have shown, neither Iran seeks war with America, nor America with Iran, at least at this stage.

If Israel wishes to engage in a war that will neutralize the threat of Hezbollah (the outcome of which is in doubt), then it must learn from the "non-victory" (in the words of Professor Ioannis Mazis) of 2006, which which means that the greatest assets of the Jewish state, i.e. firepower and superior training and experience from recent battles, can easily be annihilated again by a force that knows how to fight on its soil and is its most worthy proxy player Iran in the region.

The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt sails in the Red Sea

Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) along with an escort of CarrierStrike Group 9 ships, likely USS Lake Erie (CG-70, Ticonderoga-class) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile cruisers, USS John S. McCain (DDG-56 ), USS Halsey (DDG-97) and USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118) are en route from their current deployment in the South China Sea, Asia-Pacific theater, to the Southern Red Sea.

Theodore Roosevelt may replace USS Dwight Eisenhower (CVN-69), which is in the area, along with escort ships, for 8 months. The Eisenhower, along with the escort ships of Strike Group (CSG 2), are expected to pass through the Suez Canal in the Eastern Mediterranean soon. If Israel becomes involved in a war with Hezbollah, then both Strike Groups will remain in the area and the Eisenhower will not return to its home base at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia