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Cyprus: How the Iran war is shaping Europe’s closest frontier to the conflict
On 1 March, an Iranian-made Shahed drone launched from Lebanon hit the British airbase of Akrotiri in Cyprus, bringing the Iran war unexpectedly closer to Europe. This report explores the tensions shaping the European Union’s closest frontier to the conflict.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/24/cyprus-how-the-middle-east-war-is-shaping-europes-closest-frontier-to-the-conflict
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On 1 March, an Iranian-made Shahed drone launched from Lebanon hit the British airbase of Akrotiri in Cyprus, bringing the Iran war unexpectedly closer to Europe. This report explores the tensions shaping the European Union’s closest frontier to the conflict.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/24/cyprus-how-the-middle-east-war-is-shaping-europes-closest-frontier-to-the-conflict
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:02Last night, a drone hit Arif Akrotiri in Cyprus.
00:08This is the British Akrotiri airbase in southwest Cyprus, hit by an Iranian-made Shahed drone on the night of
00:16March the 1st.
00:18This strike was a turning point, bringing the Middle East war to Europe's doorstep.
00:24When Cyprus is attacked, it's Europe who is attacked.
00:28Cyprus is now emerging as a strategic frontline in a widening and unpredictable conflict.
00:36Caught between global powers, regional tensions and its own decade-long division, the island is becoming a critical geopolitical fault
00:45line.
00:46What does it mean to live on Europe's frontier in a time of war?
00:50That's what we'll see in this episode of Euronews Investigates.
01:03The two British bases in Cyprus are more than lines on a map.
01:07These sovereign British bases are not only surrounded by protected wild landscapes, but also by villages where residents have grown
01:16used to the constant roar of jets, international patrols and the reality of living on the edge of a volatile
01:22region.
01:23The island's position is crucial.
01:27Around 100 kilometres from Syria, 180 from Lebanon and just over 200 kilometres from Israel.
01:35Iran is 1,000 kilometres away.
01:38I'm entering the British sovereign base area of Akrotiri.
01:42What you have to know is that the British sovereign territory is far bigger than the perimeter of the base
01:48itself, stretching across nine communities, home to around 40,000 people.
01:56Akrotiri is the main village right next to the base and with a strong connection to it.
02:02About a third of its residents work there, explained the deputy mayor.
02:06This is the
02:08This is the inhabited area and here is the Akrotiri.
02:14Here are approximately 1.240 people.
02:17Three minutes after the summer, I heard a wave, I heard a sound, I heard a shiren, I tried to
02:24speak with the citizens of the democracy.
02:39The evacuation order was given the following day and lasted for 10 days.
02:44Around 1,000 people were evacuated.
02:47They were mainly taken in by relatives with some housed in a nearby monastery and in hotels.
02:54Do you feel safe?
03:01I don't know if I am ready to answer this,
03:07but I believe that with the amount of people around us,
03:12it is very difficult to escape from other places.
03:17Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union,
03:23is not a NATO member and relies on allies for its defence.
03:27The UK has allowed the US to use its bases in the country for defensive operations.
03:33After the drone attack, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands deployed naval assets.
03:39Greece also sent military support.
03:43A month later, when I visited, the drone attack seemed almost forgotten.
03:48There were no warships in sight and fewer warplanes in the sky.
03:53The war in the Middle East and the drone attack became something people don't want to talk about.
04:08What officials call an isolated incident revealed some deficiencies.
04:14As the mayor of Kurion explains, the Republic of Cyprus has no authority to evacuate or take any civil safety
04:22measures in almost 60% of his municipality, including Akrotiri,
04:27as it's part of the sovereign base areas administered by Britain.
04:32I believe what the attack showed was that nobody was ready, especially the sovereign bases.
04:40There are no contingency plans and evacuation plans in the SBA.
04:44What is the general feeling about these bases?
04:48We believe that things should start to change and actually get a clear sense on whose authorities to do what,
05:00especially with regards to the civil defence issue.
05:06I'm the only mayor in Cyprus that has to deal with two different legislations and basically two different governments.
05:13But the attack also exposed a deeper controversy.
05:16Would you say these British bases are a threat?
05:21After the incident last month, people are starting to change their mind
05:28and feeling that having a base right next to us
05:34that gets involved so much in the Middle East crisis that's happening over and over again,
05:41it's becoming a threat to the country.
05:45The two British bases of Akrotiri and Ekelia cover around 200 square kilometres, about 3% of Cyprus' territory.
05:55They were retained when Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960.
06:01The right-wing Cypriot government has raised questions about the future of the bases after the drone strike,
06:08with the issue remaining a long-standing source of political friction.
06:12Actress, TV presenter and activist Melanie Stelio is among public figures who see the British bases as a legacy of
06:20colonialism.
06:21She is speaking out ahead of the May parliamentary elections, where she is a candidate for the left-wing Akel
06:28Alliance.
06:29Over 56% of the population of Cyprus don't want the bases to be here anymore.
06:35We're not sending our soldiers there, but we're giving Cyprus as a permanent aircraft carrier for the United States of
06:43America
06:43and any other power that wants to use us, including the bases, including RAF Akrotiri.
06:50We're enabling them, we're giving them our facilities to bomb other countries.
06:56So how is that exactly creating peace?
07:00The Cypriot ministers of defence and foreign affairs declined my request to comment on the future of the bases and
07:07on key geopolitical issues.
07:09The focus instead appears to be on reassurance, with the economy, especially tourism, as a priority.
07:17This key sector, which accounts for around 12% of GDP, is very vulnerable to external shocks like conflict.
07:25Industry leaders say the response to the drone attack was excessive.
07:31Unjustly so, has been created a big noise out of the incident.
07:40It has been augmented as a newsworthy event, which was not so.
07:46It was one remote incident and there was an overreaction from all over the world that Cyprus is in a
07:53war zone,
07:54which as you can see yourself, Cyprus remains a very peaceful, safe and friendly destination.
08:02There are also several countries that have issued heightened warnings for visiting Cyprus.
08:10We found them overreacting and unjust.
08:14Are they overreacting or are we minimising?
08:19Cyprus is open and safe. No matter if the war continues.
08:26US and Israeli first strikes on Iran on February 28th hit just as the tourism season in Cyprus was reopening
08:33after winter
08:34and hotel bookings fell by nearly 40% in March.
08:39Cyprus's deputy minister of tourism says the impact will ultimately depend on how long the conflict lasts.
08:46If the conflict ends tomorrow, I believe that at the end of the day we are going to have a
08:51very similar performance to the performance of the year before.
08:55If the conflict ends after the year, for example, definitely we will observe a reduction in the total number of
09:03tourist arrivals.
09:04But that will take place for every single country in the Mediterranean zone, especially for those located in the eastern
09:12Mediterranean.
09:13Cyprus is not part of the conflict, but it's very close to an unpredictable war.
09:20I disagree with you. We are not so close. We are just belonging on the map.
09:27Definitely we are thousands of kilometres away from the conflict zone.
09:30We are not part of the problem. Cyprus was always acting as a pillar of peace and stability in the
09:39area of eastern Mediterranean.
09:42But is the Middle East war altering the balance on the island?
09:46Divided since Turkey's 1974 invasion, triggered by a Greek-backed coup pushing for union with Greece,
09:55the island remains split between the internationally recognised EU member Republic of Cyprus in the south
10:01and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey.
10:07A 180 km long UN buffer zone, the Green Line separates the two.
10:15Nicosia is considered the last divided capital in the world, with the Laedra Street checkpoint cutting through its centre.
10:25I have just crossed into a country that officially doesn't exist.
10:32Northern Cyprus is politically dependent on Turkey, a key player in the Middle East crisis.
10:38After EU countries deployed military assets in the south,
10:42Ankara responded by sending F-16 fighter jets to the north, sparking controversy.
10:49I raised this issue with a self-declared Turkish Cypriot administration.
10:54Under the gaze of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey,
10:58I sat down with a hard-line nationalist foreign minister.
11:01Even his title doesn't officially exist, and it felt like stepping into a 3D history book.
11:08Why did you receive these several F-16?
11:11To show to the world and to the Greek Cypriots that Turkish Cypriots enjoy the support and security of the
11:17motherland Turkey.
11:18We are not going to allow the balance, the military balance established on the island since 1974 to be changed.
11:26If the Greek Cypriots do anything to upset this military balance on the island, then it is our right and
11:34Turkey's right to make sure that this balance is restored.
11:39Around the 40,000 Turkish troops are stationed in northern Cyprus.
11:44The Greek Cypriot side wants them withdrawn, but the Turkish Cypriot side insists they guarantee protection until a peace settlement
11:51is reached.
11:52Former negotiations have been stalled since 2017.
11:58So, is this conflict widening the gap between the North and the South?
12:04Obviously, the Turkish Cypriot people, they are becoming more aware that there is no well-meaning policies of the Greek
12:13Cypriots that respect Turkish Cypriot rights,
12:17Turkish Cypriot entity, Turkish Cypriot sovereignty.
12:23Nationalists still hold a majority in the so-called parliament, but their views are losing consensus and a left-wing
12:30opposition leader won the October 2025 presidential election.
12:35Even so, analysts say the current regional crisis could make reunification less likely any time soon.
12:45The most obvious outcome would be a deepening of the separation because people will become entrenched in their own sides.
12:54So, it's unlikely that people would leap to the other side as a result of the conflict unless there was
13:02something pushing them there.
13:04So, unless the UN steps in and says, okay, you know, helping to solve the Cyprus conflict could help us
13:11solve other regional issues.
13:13But I have a feeling that the UN is rather distracted at the moment and probably is not going to
13:19be interested enough to take up that opportunity.
13:24Besides the military buildup and geopolitics, the island is also shaped by communities that fled conflicts.
13:30Many Israelis and Lebanese have relocated here in search of peace and stability.
13:36In Limassol, I met an Israeli-Jewish restaurant owner.
13:40He arrived in 2022 fleeing violence one year before the Hamas terrorist attacks,
13:46a traumatic event that prompted many more Israelis to seek refuge here.
13:51He complained about graffiti that appeared near his business.
13:55It was a terrorist attack next to us, so we fled to the Cyprus.
14:00It's close to home and it feels like Israel.
14:04Do you want to go back?
14:05No, no.
14:07Why?
14:08There is no stress here. Everything here is siga-siga.
14:12What is it, siga-siga?
14:13Slowly, slowly.
14:15Okay.
14:16So, what do you think about what's happening in the Middle East at the moment?
14:21We are witnesses to history.
14:23The Jewish nation is saving the world from the terror regime in Iran.
14:29And with God's help, we will finish them and the world will be a better place.
14:34What about the international laws?
14:36The Israeli attacks both Lebanon and Iran.
14:40We are eliminating this threat one and for all.
14:45The same thing we are doing with Iran and the same thing we did with Hamas.
14:49It was a threat. They invaded Israel in October 7, 2023.
14:54Does this justify killing civilians?
14:58We didn't start this war.
15:00But did this justify to kill civilians?
15:02We never start the war. We're just finishing it.
15:08Like this restaurant owner, a great majority of Israeli Jews, 78%, continue to support the month-long war on Iran
15:17and Lebanon, according to recent polls.
15:20In Israel, only a minority are opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war.
15:30Avishai, a retired professor of political science, is among them.
15:34He lived and taught in Cyprus for 10 years and now visits as a tourist.
15:41My position is against the government and against the war.
15:46The children in Gaza, having been through what they've been in the last two years, I can't see them growing
15:52up without hatred.
15:54I see the children growing up in Israel with their fears, with the prospect of serving in wars and wars
16:04and wars for the rest of their lives.
16:07I was six when Israel was founded.
16:13When I went to first year in school, we were in shelters and in bombs.
16:23How do you feel about the fact that a new opposition is still a minority in Israel?
16:30The minority is not always a minority and there is a hope for change.
16:39At the time of editing my report in mid-April, more than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon.
16:47What are numbers to the wider public can be family or friends to the Lebanese diaspora.
16:53In Cyprus, many of the 20,000 people of Lebanese descent watch the news with horror and worry.
16:59Some are still trying to put their lives back together and keep the pain at bay.
17:05I grew up in Lebanon besides the war.
17:09I had a great childhood and the beauty of Lebanon is inside me.
17:17It's my country, it's my people and wherever I go, it stays with me.
17:25The Lebanese people are resilient but now, if you ask any Lebanese, they don't want to be resilient anymore.
17:32They are tired. We are all tired.
17:42Over three million people have been displaced in Iran and another one million within Lebanon since the war began.
17:49Humanitarian agencies warn of a potential refugee crisis.
17:53In Cyprus, the authorities say they remain vigilant despite the country not having seen large waves of refugees so far.
18:01The Cypriot Migration Minister believes the EU's new Pact on Migration and Asylum should help avoid a repeat of the
18:092015 crisis
18:10when the Syrian civil war caused the largest refugee movement in Europe since World War II.
18:17Things have changed since the last refugee crisis in 2015.
18:21We've got more robust legislation and we believe that we're more ready now to deal with the new refugee crisis.
18:32We are getting ready for the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in June.
18:36It's also been pretty controversial.
18:38So are you going to support more people coming towards Cyprus or less people?
18:43So the new legislation gives us an opportunity to perform stricter controls at the borders, expedite our asylum procedures and
18:55improve our return procedures as well.
19:00So it's a general, comprehensive, cohesive legal framework that will enable us to improve our procedures.
19:09If you are going to have hundreds of thousands of people coming from Lebanon or Iran, what's going to happen?
19:16We have to examine on an individualized basis each application, of course, in order to ascertain whether these individuals are
19:25really in danger.
19:28Everyday life in Cyprus goes on, as it almost always has, relaxed. The Middle East war watched from afar, as
19:36if not looking to directly, might keep it at bay.
19:41I left Cyprus feeling the island is already being shaped by the war, more than people are aware of, and
19:48the authorities are prepared to admit.
19:50Hi, Heidi.
19:53Are you serious?
19:54It's all so muchos from God, isn't so serious.
19:55Fascinating.
19:55The church has not been evening back, according to me.
19:56What?
19:58The church has never experienced...
19:58It's a very serious company it's overwhelming and that's very impregnable.
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