Turkish Cypriots are worried as the southern part of the divided island of Cyprus sees heightened military activity, especially amid the Palestine-Israel conflict.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar has criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for becoming a logistical base for Israel and certain Western countries, endangering the island's 50-year peace. Tatar was commenting on a report by Anadolu Agency (AA) about British bases on the island supporting Israel's attacks on Gaza.
Tatar pointed to increased military activity by the U.S. and U.K. in southern Cyprus following Israel's attacks on Gaza after Oct. 7. He accused the Greek Cypriot administration of turning the south into a military hub serving Western interests rather than its own. Tatar reiterated warnings about the growing military presence in Southern Cyprus, claiming that historical mistakes by the Greek Cypriot administration have made it a target for major Middle Eastern organizations.
Expressing his country's agreement with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's statement that "Israel is using southern Cyprus as a logistical base," Tatar stressed that he would not allow his country's land to be used to support any kind of massacre.
Emphasizing the peace established by the Turkish operation in 1974, he noted that southern Cyprus is endangering this 50 years of stability. He criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for actions that could disrupt regional peace and called for a policy that avoids unnecessary risks for the island. Underscoring the irresponsibility of making the island a target again, Tatar urged Greek Cypriots to consider their future and not to jeopardize the hard-won peace on the island.
The Akrotiri and Dhekelia bases in Cyprus are considered independent territories of the U.K. The bases are said to allow Britain to maintain a permanent military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as to conduct highly confidential military and intelligence activities. Akrotiri Air Base, belonging to the British Royal Air Force, is in an important position in terms of military aircraft and communication facilities in the UK's global connections. The Royal Air Force's 84th Squadron is based in Akrotiri. Dhekelia has a population of over 1,500, including infantry battalions, an engineer squadron, various logistics units and British civilians. Both bases are used for various military and humanitarian operations. The bases host an extensive network of British and US intelligence facilities, according to Declassified UK, which reports on the work of military and intelligence agencies. The fact that the island of Cyprus has British bases is said to be strategically important for NATO. The island, which is used specifically as a NATO communications station, allegedly allows NATO to control its intelligence and military presence in the Middle East and North Africa.
The UK has 2,490 permanent personnel in two base areas. It is estimated that after the start of the Palestine-Israel conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, the U.K. sent an additional 500 people to the island. The number of British personnel on the island has reached 3,000. It is said that the number of military personnel deployed by the U.K. on the island with reinforcements is 2,717 and the number of civilians is 273. Britain sent 60 planes to Israel from the start of the war until June, most of which departed from Akrotiri Air Base. Details of what kind of materials were on the aircraft or their purposes have not been disclosed.
Declassified UK claimed that 26 of these planes were military transport aircraft traveling from Akrotiri to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. Going back to Aug. 6, 2023, records show that the U.K. did not have such flights from Akrotiri to Tel Aviv. The British army claims they did not send any military aid that could be "lethal" and that the planes were sent to support Britain's diplomatic interaction in Israel. It is also claimed that the British army has carried out 200 surveillance missions since December 2023. These missions are said to be carried out specifically to locate the prisoners in Gaza. In this context, it is claimed that British spy planes observed Gaza for 1,000 hours.
The U.K. says the bases are used for humanitarian purposes. Britain's Defense Ministry told the Euronews channel that humanitarian activities were being carried out at the bases and that support was provided to those in need of assistance in Gaza. The statement emphasized the "non-military character" of the bases, noting that British forces on the island played an important role in supporting humanitarian aid and rescue activities, working on a humanitarian sea route. Also, the intelligence provided to Israel by unarmed aircraft was only to locate the prisoners.
The U.K. has sent 80 military transport planes to Beirut since the start of Israel's attacks on Gaza. All flights are from Akrotiri and the number of flights increased, especially in April. Britain is also claimed to have used these bases in attacks on the Houthis in Yemen. These bases were also used to arm Israel in its attacks on Gaza and southern Lebanon.