Nicosia: Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi condemned a hit earlier this week on a British Base, hosted in Akrotiri, in the southern tip of Cyprus, after his Cypriot counterpart announced that the drone that carried out the strike originated from Lebanese territory. These acts do not represent Lebanon, its state, its people, or its values Raggi wrote in a message on X.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Raggi said that following a relevant announcement by Cyprus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos, he sent him a text message 'expressing our strong condemnation of these attacks.' 'I stressed that these acts do not represent Lebanon, its state, its people, or its values, and affirmed our rejection of any attempt to turn Lebanon into a platform for the execution of external agendas' he added.
Raggi further emphasized that Cypriots should not confuse the Lebanese state with those acting outside its authority and legal framework. 'I further recalled the recent decision of the Lebanese government declaring all military and security activities carried out by Hezbollah to be unlawful' he adds. 'In this regard, I stressed that the attacks against Cyprus must be understood in this context, as they are acts carried out outside the authority of the Lebanese state and in direct contradiction with its sovereign decisions' he underlines.
Raggi says he concluded by expressing 'our deep regret that such condemnable acts have occurred' while reaffirming Lebanon's full and unequivocal rejection of them, without reservation.
In the early hours of March 2, a Shahed-type drone struck military facilities in the British Bases, hosted in Akrotiri, in the southern tip of Cyprus, causing minor damage, amid regional turmoil following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. The attack by the Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle, believed to be linked to Hezbollah operating in Lebanon, prompted heightened security measures. Several countries, including Greece and France, said they were deploying warships, aircraft, and other air defense assets to shield Cyprus. The UK also announced the dispatch of a warship. Nicosia reiterates that it has no involvement in the wider Middle East conflict.