- il y a 6 heures
Chypre, avant-poste de l'Europe dans un Moyen-Orient en guerre
Le 1er mars, un drone Shahed de fabrication iranienne lancé depuis le Liban a frappé la base aérienne britannique d'Akrotiri à Chypre, rapprochant de manière inattendue la guerre du Moyen-Orient de l'Europe.
LIRE L’ARTICLE : http://fr.euronews.com/2026/04/24/chypre-avant-poste-de-leurope-dans-un-moyen-orient-en-guerre
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Le 1er mars, un drone Shahed de fabrication iranienne lancé depuis le Liban a frappé la base aérienne britannique d'Akrotiri à Chypre, rapprochant de manière inattendue la guerre du Moyen-Orient de l'Europe.
LIRE L’ARTICLE : http://fr.euronews.com/2026/04/24/chypre-avant-poste-de-leurope-dans-un-moyen-orient-en-guerre
Abonnez-vous à notre chaine. Euronews est disponible sur Dailymotion en 12 langues
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NewsTranscription
00:25Lorsque Chypre est attaquée, c'est l'Europe qui est attaquée.
00:28C'est l'Europe qui est attaquée, c'est une fronte stratégique en un conflit de plus grande et impréductable.
00:37Contraient les pouvoirs globales, les tensions régionales et ses propres décadas, l'île est devenu une ligne de géopolitique critique.
00:46Ce qui signifie vivre sur la frontière de l'Europe en un temps de guerre ?
00:50Ceci nous verrons dans cet épisode de l'Euronews Investigates.
01:03Les deux bases de Britanniques en Cyprus sont plus que les lines sur la map.
01:08Ces bases de Britanniques sont not only surrounded par des landscapes protégés,
01:12mais aussi par des villages où les résidents ont été utilisés,
01:16pour le constatant de l'arrivée de jets, des patrols et la réalité de vivre sur l'arrivée de la
01:22région.
01:24La position de l'arrivée est cruciale.
01:27Il y a environ 100 km de Syrie, 180 km de Lebanon et environ 200 km de Israël.
01:35Iran est 1,000 km de distance.
01:38Je suis entrant dans l'arrivée britannique sovraine de l'arrivée de Akrotiri.
01:42Ce que vous devez savoir c'est que l'arrivée britannique sovraine de l'arrivée est plus grande
01:47que le perimetre de l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée.
01:49Il y a 9 communautés, chez environ 40 000 personnes.
01:56L'arrivée de Akrotiri est le principal village à l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée
02:00et avec une forte connexion à l'arrivée de l'arrivée.
02:02Un troisième de ses résidents travaillent là, explique l'adrivée de l'arrivée.
02:07Ce qui est l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée.
02:11Ici, c'est l'arrivée de Akrotiri.
02:14Il y a environ 1,240 personnes.
02:18Trois minutes après la nuit, j'ai écouté un vent.
02:22J'ai écouté scénes.
02:23J'ai essayé de parler des démocraties.
02:28J'ai écouté la police et nous ont demandé qu'un homme a fallé dans les bases.
02:35J'ai écouté la police.
02:39J'ai écouté l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée.
02:44L'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée.
02:45Un peu plus de 1 000 personnes ont été évacués.
02:47Ils ont été pris en place par des relatives,
02:49avec des quelques-uns qui sont habisés dans un monastère et dans des hôtels.
02:54J'ai écouté la police.
03:06J'ai écouté une question sur le air-tour de l'arrivée de l'arrivée de l'arrivée.
03:17Cyprus, qui est actuellement le président de l'Union du Conseil de l'Union Européenne,
03:23n'est pas un membre de NATO et relies sur les allies pour leur défense.
03:27Le UK a permis de l'Union d'utiliser ses bases dans le pays pour des opérations de défense.
03:33Après le drône attaque, France, Italie, Spagne et le Néthelands
03:37ont déployé des assets de l'armée.
03:39Grèce aussi a envoyé des supportes militaires.
03:43A mois après, quand j'ai visité, le drône attaque a l'air agréable.
03:48Il n'a pas eu de guerre dans l'air et il n'y a pas de guerre dans le
03:52ciel.
03:53La guerre au milieu du Sud et le drône attaque a l'air agréable
03:56devient quelque chose que le monde ne veut pas parler.
03:59Il n'existe pas.
04:00Il n'existe pas.
04:03Il a toujours voulu faire des choses.
04:03Je ne sais pas que les gens ne voient pas faire.
04:06Il n'existe pas.
04:09Ce qu'ont appelé un incident isolé,
04:12a révélé des déficiences.
04:15Comme le Premier de Kourion explique,
04:17la République de Cyprus n'a pas de droit d'evacuer
04:20ou d'élever des mesures civiles de sécurité
04:22dans presque 60% de ses municipaux,
04:26including Akrotiri,
04:28as it's part of the sovereign base areas administered by Britain.
04:32I believe what the attack showed was that nobody was ready,
04:37especially the sovereign bases.
04:40There are no contingency plans and evacuation plans in the SBA.
04:44What is the general feeling about these bases?
04:49We believe that things should start to change
04:54and 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
05:10and basically two different governments.
05:13But the attack also exposed a deeper controversy.
05:17Would you say these British bases are a threat?
05:20After the incident last month, people are starting to change their mind
05:28and feeling that having a base right next to us
05:33that gets involved so much in the Middle East crisis
05:39that'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,
05:52about 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
06:06after the drone strike, with 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.
06:57So 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.
07:31And justly 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.
08:15Are they overreacting or are we minimizing?
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're going to have a very
08:52similar performance
08:53to the performance of the year before.
08:55If the conflict ends at the end of the year, for example, definitely we will observe a reduction
09:02in the total number of tourist arrivals, but that will take place for every single country in the Mediterranean zone,
09:10especially for those located in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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 kilometers away from the conflict zone.
09:31We 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 a war altering the balance on the island?
09:47Divided since Turkey's 1974 invasion, triggered by a Greek-backed coup pushing for union with Greece,
09:54the island remains split between the internationally recognized EU member Republic of Cyprus in the south
10:01and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized 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 Ledra Street checkpoint cutting through its center.
10:26I 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 the self-declared Turkish Cypriot administration.
10:54Under the gaze of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, I sat down with the hardline 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.
11:27If the Greek Cypriots do anything to upset this military balance on the island,
11:32then it is our right and Turkey'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,
11:47but the Turkish Cypriot side insists they guarantee protection until a peace settlement is 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,
12:29and a left-wing opposition leader won the October 2025 presidential election.
12:35Even so, analysts say the current regional crisis could make reunification less likely anytime soon.
12:46The 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.
13:03So, 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 United Nations is rather distracted at the moment and probably is not going
13:19to be interested enough to take up that opportunity.
13:24Besides the military build-up 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 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. So, what do you think about what's happening in the Middle East at the moment?
14:20We are witnesses to history. The 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 that Israeli attacked both Lebanon and Iran?
14:41We 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.
14:53Does this justify killing civilians?
14:57We didn't start this war. We never start...
15:01But 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.
15:30Avi Shai, 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,
15:51I can't see them growing up without hatred.
15:55I see the children growing up in Israel with their fears, with the prospect of serving in wars,
16:03and wars and wars for the rest of their lives.
16:07I was sixth when Israel was founded.
16:13And my sixth... When I went to first year in school, we were in shelters and in bombs.
16:19And I'm now 85 and I'm in shelters and 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 had 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.
17:00Some are still trying to put their lives back together and keep the pain at bay.
17:05I grew up in Lebanon. Besides the war, I had a great childhood and the beauty of Lebanon is inside
17:15me.
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 3 million people have been displaced in Iran and another 1 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.
18:02The 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. We've got more robust legislation and we believe that we're
18:27more 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. So are you going to support more people coming towards Cyprus or less people?
18:44So 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 individualised 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.
19:52To be continued...
19:52To be continued...
19:52To be continued...
19:52To be continued...
19:52To be continued...
20:00To be continued...
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