Cyprus agitated as Netanyahu drags it into Israel–Turkey tensions

Cyprus is annoyed at being caught up in tensions between Israel and Turkey, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for stirring the waters to boost his domestic popularity with remarks targeting Ankara during a summit in Jerusalem, a Cypriot newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Cyprus, Greece and Israel held their 10th trilateral meeting last week, just days after signing a new military-planning agreement with each other.

“There is discomfort in Nicosia, indeed, annoyance, over the way Israel is attempting to exploit what was agreed upon, guided exclusively by its own political, diplomatic, and geostrategic interests,” Politis, one of Cyprus’s main newspapers, reported.

The newspaper added that even though there are no official statements, the issue was being handled "delicately" at a diplomatic level.

“At a time of heightened tension between Israel and Turkey, with threats from both sides, including military operations, the Netanyahu government is attempting to involve Cyprus and Greece,” the paper said.

During the meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Netanyahu said, referring to Turkey, that “those who fantasise they can re-establish their empires and their dominion over our lands should forget it”.

According to Politis, Netanyahu attempted to portray Turkey as a common enemy of all three countries, “taking into account either his personal interests (as his popularity has bottomed out despite efforts to recover) or his country's national interests, while ignoring the fact that this affects the other two states participating in the trilateral partnership”.

A regional official familiar with the issue confirmed to Middle East Eye that Cyprus was indeed uncomfortable with Israel’s approach to the meeting.

“It’s the usual playbook with Israel,” the official said. “Messaging to its domestic audience with lots of bluster and gusto, ignoring the hard facts and projecting its own narrative.”

Four major issues

Cyprus is set to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union next week, making it more cautious about appearing antagonistic towards Turkey.

While the trilateral format is not new, the latest meeting has drawn particular attention amid heightened tensions that have been brewing between Turkey and Israel since 2023.

The two countries have clashed over their divergent policies in Syria, and Netanyahu is said to be particularly uneasy about a potential role for Ankara in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

Earlier this year, Cyprus received advanced Israeli air defence systems - the Barak MX - capable of intercepting aerial threats up to 150km away.

The system features advanced surveillance and intelligence-gathering functions through its 3D radar. With a range of up to 460km, it provides a “digital umbrella” covering a significant portion of southern Turkey’s airspace.

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Politis, however, identified four main issues that have caused discomfort in Nicosia.

The first concerns Netanyahu’s remarks about Turkey, implying that the three countries could jointly defend themselves against Ankara’s aspirations to restore an “empire”.

The second issue is that Netanyahu’s comments - separate from the joint declaration - could undermine efforts to restart reunification talks in Cyprus following the election of Turhan Erhurman as the new president of the Turkish Cypriot-majority breakaway region of Northern Cyprus.

“Reports that present the tripartite format as a threat to Turkey certainly do not contribute to the climate that needs to be created,” the newspaper noted.

The third issue involves “selective and targeted leaks” from Israel suggesting the creation of a joint brigade comprising 1,000 soldiers each from Israel and Greece, and 500 from Cyprus.

Cypriot Defence Minister Vassilis Palmas this week denied any such plan, categorically clarifying that there is no question of forming a single joint military force.

The fourth issue, according to Politis, is the Israeli military’s unilateral announcement on Monday that a new military agreement with Cyprus and Greece had been signed last week - creating the impression that the “joint front” against Turkey was deepening.

“This was not a joint announcement by the three countries, nor a joint declaration as has been customary in similar cases," Politis noted of the statement, which was posted on an official Israeli X account.

"There were no corresponding announcements from Cyprus or Greece regarding the military agreement for 2026.”