Police found chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, and equipment that could be used to manufacture explosives.

By Kostis Konstantinou, TPS

Five Palestinian men accused of operating a Hamas-linked cell and planning terrorist attacks against Israeli targets in Cyprus are due in a Larnaca court Thursday.

The hearing will be procedural.

Prosecutors are expected to suspend three separate cases and consolidate them into a single indictment covering all five defendants before referring the case to the Larnaca Assize Court.

It will not mark the start of witness testimony.

The investigation began on May 21 with the arrest of two men, aged 32 and 38, near Pentakomo.

Police later found chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, and equipment that could be used to manufacture explosives at properties near Pentakomo and in Larnaca.

Investigators say the 32-year-old admitted being recruited by a Hamas operative, buying materials and photographing potential targets.

The 38-year-old, a physics professor, allegedly entered Cyprus illegally through the Turkish-occupied north to assemble explosive devices.

A 54-year-old Palestinian with Cypriot citizenship is accused of receiving parcels containing dangerous substances.

He denies involvement and remains in custody after a bail decision was overturned.

A 41-year-old arrested in Indonesia and deported to Cyprus is described as the network’s coordinator.

The latest defendant, another 32-year-old living in Limassol, was quietly arrested in July. He allegedly arranged the first suspect’s travel to Turkey, where instructions for the attacks were passed on.

His arrest was made public on Wednesday

The charges include terrorism, conspiracy to murder, participation in a criminal organization, and money laundering.

Previous hearings were held behind closed doors. Thursday’s proceedings are also expected to be closed, although this has not been officially confirmed.

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According to the Antiquities Authority, the coin was minted in the ancient city of Salamis, on the eastern coast of Cyprus, around the middle of the 5th century BCE.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

A deputy director of the Ashdod Beaches Department, who typically helps bathers find jewelry and belongings lost in the sand, discovered a 2,500-year-old coin from Cyprus, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sunday.

Avi Chaprak, deputy director of the department, was searching for lost objects on an Ashdod beach about a month ago when he came across the ancient coin.

He submitted the find to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

An examination by the Antiquities Authority’s coin department confirmed that the object was an exceptionally rare specimen never before recorded in the country.

“At first glance it looked to be made of silver, but a closer examination showed it to actually be of metal that was only plated with silver, a known phenomenon in Cypriot silver coins from this period, given the shortage of silver on the island,” said Yaniv David Levy, a researcher and curator in the Antiquities Authority’s coin department.

One side of the coin bears a left-facing recumbent ram, while the other shows a left-facing ram’s head set within a sunken square frame, accompanied by a vertical laurel branch and three symbols believed to belong to the Cypriot syllabic script.

According to the Antiquities Authority, the coin was minted in the ancient city of Salamis, on the eastern coast of Cyprus, around the middle of the 5th century BCE, during the period when the Persian empire controlled the island.

Weighing roughly 11 grams (0.39 oz.), it is a standard denomination known as a siglos.

“Coins of this size and value from the Persian period are rare altogether in the archaeological record,” Levy said.

“Usually, silver coins of this size were not preserved intact. Over time, they were cut into small pieces, for use as local trade currency. Furthermore, evidence of such use is known mainly from inland sites in Israel. Therefore, the discovery of a complete coin from the coastal area is thus unusual on all accounts, and of special historical importance.”

Dr. Evangeline Markou, a senior researcher at the Institute of Historical Research at the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens and an expert on ancient Cypriot coinage, said Salamis coins from the 5th century BCE circulated widely across the Eastern Mediterranean, but pieces with a clear findspot are far less common.

“Salamis coins from the 5th century BCE were circulating throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. However, finds with an exact provenance are rarer, and therefore this coin potentially offers significant information about trade ties and movement between Cyprus and the Land of Israel during this period,” Markou explained.

Levy said the way the coin was reported strengthens its scholarly value.

“The circumstances of the discovery and the accurate reporting allow us researchers not only to identify the coin itself, but also to use it as a reliable source of information about economic and maritime ties that existed in this region some 2,500 years ago,” he said.

Israeli Heritage Minister Rabbi Amihai Eliyahu praised the find and Chaprak’s decision to report it.

“The rare coin discovered on the Ashdod coast is tangible evidence of the maritime and commercial ties that existed between the Land of Israel and Cyprus some 2,500 years ago,” Eliyahu said.

“The public’s cooperation in reporting on antiquities makes it possible to preserve the heritage assets that belong to all of us.”

Said Chaprak, “I am happy that I was privileged to be part of a discovery of historical value. If through this act I contributed another small piece toward the research and history of the Land of Israel, then that is a great honor for me.”

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The case comes days after three Israeli nationals were assaulted in central Nicosia, in a separate incident that also drew an immediate response from Cypriot authorities.

By Kostis Konstantinou, TPS

Cypriot authorities extended the detention of two Palestinians arrested in a suspected terror plot after one allegedly admitted that Israelis were the intended targets, local media reported Saturday.

The two men, aged 32 and 38, appeared before the District Court in Paralimni in a closed-door proceeding.

The court ordered them held for another eight days as investigators continue examining whether planned attacks were being prepared on the island.

Cypriot police also arrested two additional Palestinian suspects in the Larnaca district in connection with the same investigation.

They were brought before the Larnaca District Court, which also ordered their eight-day remand.

One of the arrested men told investigators that the targets would have been Israelis.

Police are now working to determine where and how the attacks would be carried out and whether the suspects had additional accomplices.

The investigation began after police discovered materials used to make explosives at two properties linked to the 32-year-old suspect: a house in the Governor’s Beach area on Cyprus’s southern coast and an apartment in the Kamares area of Larnaca.

Among the materials seized were ammonium nitrate and other chemical substances, along with evidence now undergoing specialist forensic examination.

Investigators are also examining whether DNA belonging to other individuals is present on the seized evidence.

The 32-year-old reportedly lived with his family in the Kamares apartment. The 38-year-old is believed to have been staying in Cyprus illegally after entering the Republic from the Turkish-occupied north.

Cypriot authorities believe the arrests may have prevented attacks in Cyprus.

The case is being investigated in coordination with competent state agencies and foreign partners amid heightened concern over threats to Israeli and Jewish targets on the island.

The case comes days after three Israeli nationals were assaulted in central Nicosia, in a separate incident that also drew an immediate response from Cypriot authorities.

Police arrested two Syrian nationals after the Israelis reported being attacked, with one of the victims requiring medical treatment for an ear injury.

Cyprus’s Deputy Migration Ministry said the two Syrians will face immediate revocation of their asylum status and will be deported, underscoring a tougher government line toward foreign nationals granted protection who commit criminal offenses.

Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides said such conduct would not be tolerated.

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Israeli officials said the victims appeared to be targeted because they were visibly Jewish.

By World Israel News Staff

Three Israeli nationals were violently attacked in Cyprus on Wednesday, with one of the victims suffering stab wounds in what Israeli officials described as an antisemitic assault.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, the three Israelis were attacked by suspects reportedly of Syrian origin and were allegedly targeted because their attire identified them as religiously observant Jews.

The attack took place in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia, where a 24-year-old Israeli man was stabbed in the eye by one of the assailants.

Cypriot authorities have not yet released further details about the suspects or the medical condition of the wounded Israelis.

“I am deeply shocked by the violent attack against Israeli citizens in Nicosia, targeted solely because of their visibly Jewish appearance,” Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus Oren Anolik wrote on his official X account.

“Such antisemitic violence has no place in Cyprus.”

The ambassador thanked Cypriot police for their “swift” response in arresting the suspects involved in the attack.

“Those responsible must face justice,” Anolik added.

“Amid a worrying and untypical rise in antisemitic incidents in Cyprus, clear and firm condemnation by leaders across the country is essential,” he said.

The incident comes amid growing concerns over antisemitism and security threats targeting Israelis and Jewish communities on the Mediterranean island.

On Saturday, Cypriot media reported that authorities had arrested two men — identified as non-Cypriot nationals — who were allegedly planning attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in Cyprus.

“Police remain on alert, examining and analyzing every piece of information received and taking action when necessary,” police spokesman Veron Viros said in a statement.

According to a report by Hebrew-language business outlet Globes, an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Israelis currently reside in Cyprus, which has become an increasingly popular destination for Israeli expatriates, tourists and business owners in recent years.

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The drone strike came shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom had granted the United States access to its bases for attacks on the Iranian regime’s missiles and launch sites.

By JNS

A British Royal Air Force facility in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian suicide drone overnight Sunday, causing limited damage but no casualties, according to Cypriot authorities and London’s Defense Ministry.

The Shahed-type drone caused minor damage when it crashed into RAF Akrotiri, a U.K. sovereign base on the Greek side of the island, just after midnight local time, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides stated.

“I am in constant contact with all European leaders and leaders of other states regarding developments,” continued the leader, who currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“Our country does not participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation,” Christodoulides added.

The drone strike came shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom had granted the United States access to its bases for attacks on the Iranian regime’s missiles and launch sites.

The U.K. Defense Ministry confirmed to the BBC that its armed forces responded to the attack at RAF Akrotiri at around midnight local time.

“Our force protection in the region is at the highest level and the base has responded to defend our people,” the ministry statement added.

The Sovereign Bases Administration that manages the British territories on Cyprus subsequently confirmed that it was planning the “temporary dispersal of non-essential personnel” from RAF Akrotiri Station.

The temporary dispersal notice would only apply to the base, it stated, adding that there was no need for residents to leave the nearby town.

On Sunday, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said that Iran fired two missiles toward Cyprus that landed close to a military base, though he added that London was “pretty sure” Tehran did not target the island.

In response to an Israel Hayom request, the E.U. Ambassador to Israel, Michael Mann, condemned the attack, calling it “totally unacceptable.”

The Israeli and U.S. militaries launched preemptive airstrikes against the Islamic Republic on Saturday to neutralize the threats posed by Tehran.

Iran subsequently fired many dozens of ballistic missiles into the Jewish state, killing eleven and wounding many more, with air-raid sirens continuing to blare across the country on Monday morning.

As part of the conflict, the Islamic regime has also carried out missile and drone attacks targeting several Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

In a statement posted to Truth Social announcing the start of “major combat operations” against the Islamic Republic on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that his objective was “to defend the American people” by neutralizing the “imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.”

Iran’s “menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

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Israel, Greece, and Cyprus have long sought closer ties, with leaders pledging at a December Jerusalem summit to strengthen post-war security and defense cooperation in a volatile region.

By Etgar Lefkovits, JNS

A cross-parliamentary meeting on Tuesday of lawmakers from Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Congress urged the strengthening of the Eastern Mediterranean alliance among the three regional allies through joint cooperation and actions to counter Turkey’s growing regional influence and threat.

The meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, in which many participated via video link, comes at a time of heightened uncertainty in the region over a buildup of U.S. military force following the Islamic Republic’s brutal repression of anti-governmental protests.

“Over the two and a half years since October 7, we have witnessed a dramatic weakening of the Iranian Shi’ite axis and its replacement by a Sunni Muslim Brotherhood axis,” said Knesset member Ohad Tal, who serves as co-chair of the Knesset Caucus for the Eastern Mediterranean Alliance.

“Strengthening cooperation between Israel, Cyprus, Greece and the United States—among other things through major infrastructure, natural resources and security projects—is a strategic asset and a response to curbing Turkey’s ambitions,” he continued.

“Precisely after two years of multifront conflict, Israel must take the next step: translating military strength into a diplomatic and civilian anchor,” said Knesset member Alon Schuster, co-chair of the Caucus.

“The partnership with Greece and Cyprus is not only a security alliance—it is an opportunity to build regional civilian resilience in the fields of energy, water, agriculture and innovation.”

Israel, Greece and Cyprus have for years been working to advance a long-touted landmark energy deal, with their leaders pledging at a trilateral summit in Jerusalem in December to deepen post-war security and defense cooperation in a volatile region.

The much-discussed deal to link the three countries’ electrical grids—referred to as an “energy highway”—is to be carried out via the world’s longest and deepest underwater electricity cable, crossing the Mediterranean seabed and bridging Asia and Europe.

The countries have also been weighing cooperation on an offshore natural-gas deal that could establish an energy corridor to Europe and beyond, including Arab countries in the region.

“We need to be clear about who our partners are in the Middle East and who our enemies are—who is open to cooperation and who creates obstacles and challenges,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) on Tuesday.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) made it clear that in his view, Turkey was in the latter group.

“Over the past few years—whether it’s rhetoric related to Gaza, influence in Syria or activity in other parts of the world—we have seen that Turkey has gone off the reservation,” he said.

According to Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, an Israeli intelligence and security expert, “Turkey is becoming a bigger military challenge for Israel, and we need to cooperate with everybody else.”

He noted that Ankara was concerned over the Islamic Republic losing control of Iran and the entire Middle East becoming more pragmatic, which, he said, they view as undesirable.

“This event is of the utmost importance, as four parliaments are speaking together and planning joint legislative steps,” said Gregg Roman, CEO of the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank that initiated the event.

“These are images that need to be seen in Turkey, Iran and Russia.”

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Israel is locking in reliable partners on its western maritime flank while turning shared security needs into projects that reshape the map.

By Shmuli Volkin, Jewish Breaking News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a trilateral summit in Jerusalem with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, signaling a push to move the Israel–Greece–Cyprus partnership from routine coordination to big, region-shaping projects.

In Netanyahu’s remarks, he framed this as the “tenth meeting” but potentially the most consequential, arguing the Eastern Mediterranean is being stress-tested by “aggression, terrorism, and instability” and that the trilateral bloc is meant to project steadiness and deterrence while unlocking prosperity.

Leaders highlighted plans to advance an undersea electricity interconnector tying their grids toward Europe and also linking south and east, while pairing that with a broader connectivity vision that would move goods and energy between India and Europe through the Middle East via sea and rail routes.

That mix matters because it turns diplomacy into hard assets. A power cable, energy corridors, and upgraded ports and logistics are not just economic.

They create shared dependencies, raise the cost of escalation for hostile actors, and give Israel and its partners more resilience if the region faces another shock.

Security was the second pillar. The three leaders agreed to deepen security cooperation, and Netanyahu said he intends to raise Iran’s nuclear file and regional threats in his upcoming talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside the next phase of the Gaza plan.

Greece’s and Cyprus’s public messaging emphasized stability-first cooperation among democracies, while Netanyahu stressed Israel is not looking for confrontation, but will act to protect itself and the region’s sea lanes.

There was also a pointed warning shot embedded in the optics. Netanyahu took aim at unnamed would-be regional dominators, saying: “Don’t even think about it.”

In parallel, reporting ahead of the summit suggested discussion around a potential rapid-response framework to protect shared interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, though officials indicated nothing was yet ready for formal announcement.

One human thread is hovering over everything. Netanyahu again referenced the demand for Hamas to return the remains of Ran “Rani” Gvili, widely reported as the last Israeli hostage whose body is still held in Gaza, underscoring that Israel views closure on the hostage file as part of the broader regional reset.

The takeaway from Jerusalem is simple: Israel is locking in reliable partners on its western maritime flank while turning shared security needs into projects that reshape the map.

If the plans move from speeches to signed timelines, the Eastern Mediterranean axis becomes less a forum and more a functioning strategic corridor.

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At that moment, they realized that he was Israeli. From that point on, the incident took a violent and severe turn.

By World Israel News Staff

A young Israeli man was brutally attacked over the weekend outside the hotel where he was staying in Limassol, Cyprus, after being heard speaking Hebrew, in an incident raising strong suspicion of an antisemitic motive.

The victim’s father told Kan News that the attack occurred Saturday night while his son was on a post-army trip.

According to his account, the young man was speaking on the phone in Hebrew when a stranger approached him asking for a cigarette. Shortly afterward, the man assaulted him violently.

The victim was flown to Israel on Sunday for medical treatment, underwent surgery on his eye, and ultimately lost vision in that eye due to the severity of the injuries.

In a Facebook post, the father described the attack, writing: “They attacked my son at the entrance to the hotel in Cyprus. Not on the street, not in a bar, but at the entrance to the hotel, a place that is supposed to be safe and secure. He was brutally beaten, suffered head and facial injuries, and was evacuated for medical treatment.”

The victim’s younger brother, Maor, also detailed the incident in a separate Facebook post.

According to him, two strangers approached his brother and began asking personal questions, including who he was, where he was from, and what he was doing there. “My brother felt uncomfortable and chose not to respond,” he wrote.

Minutes later, Maor said, his brother received a video call from a friend, conducted in Hebrew.

“At that moment, those people understood that he was Israeli. From that point on, the incident took a violent and severe turn. They attacked him together until he lost consciousness, stole his mobile phone, and fled the scene,” he wrote.

Maor added that an ambulance arrived only about 40 minutes later. He described the assault as “a serious and violent incident, with a clear suspicion of an antisemitic attack.”

The incident comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks worldwide, with Israelis and Jews increasingly targeted abroad because of their identity.

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For much of the morning, radar sweeps and visual searches yielded nothing, raising fears the yacht might have been pushed far off course or suffered serious damage.

By World Israel News Staff

A major search-and-rescue operation in the eastern Mediterranean took a dramatic turn on Wednesday after authorities succeeded in reestablishing contact with an Israeli yacht that had vanished for nearly two days after departing Ashdod last week.

The disappearance of the vessel, carrying two Israeli couples in their fifties, had sparked deep concern among rescue teams, who warned that severe weather and dwindling daylight were making the search increasingly difficult. The yacht’s last known position had been logged roughly 90 nautical miles off the coast of Paphos on Monday, when its transmitter abruptly stopped sending signals and no distress call followed.

Cyprus intensified the hunt at dawn Wednesday, deploying helicopters, diverting ships under the Nearchos protocol, and coordinating with British patrol assets on the island as Storm Byron continued to churn the eastern Mediterranean with strong winds and rough seas. For much of the morning, radar sweeps and visual searches yielded nothing, raising fears the yacht might have been pushed far off course or suffered serious damage.

But shortly afterward, Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed a breakthrough: the Israeli maritime Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) managed to reestablish communication with the missing vessel. According to the ministry, RCC personnel succeeded by relaying through a nearby ship, the FUGRO VENTURER, which located the yacht and contacted its crew. The vessel is now making its way back toward Israel.

Initial checks indicate the yacht was never in distress but had simply lost all communication capability, leaving rescue authorities blind to its location.

Before contact was restored, Israeli officials said the passengers had originally intended to sail to Crete but diverted toward Cyprus as weather worsened. Heavy rain, fierce winds and rough seas from Storm Byron severely complicated both their route and the search effort. Because the yacht carries almost no radar signature, rescue teams had been relying almost entirely on visual spotting, an extremely difficult task in stormy conditions.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that forces from Israel, Greece and Cyprus had been coordinating throughout the search, with the ministry’s department for Israelis abroad and Israel’s embassies in Nicosia and Athens remaining in close contact with the families.

RCC Larnaca, which led the multinational operation before communications were restored, had earlier expanded the search radius and urged civilian ships to avoid the area due to hazardous conditions.

With the vessel now found and returning safely, the emergency phase of the operation is expected to wind down, bringing relief to officials who had described the effort as a race against worsening weather.

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The Cypriot government has made clear that it will not tolerate antisemitic rhetoric and actions, which, according to Cypriot law, are criminal offenses.

By Kostis Konstantinou, TPS

The Minister of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, Konstantinos Ioannou, clarified today that the government will not back down on its decision to activate legislation requiring municipalities to remove hate-inciting graffiti from public view.

This issue arose after the Minister sent a letter to Andreas Vyras, the President of the Union of Municipalities of Cyprus, also attaching a letter from the Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli.

In his letter, the Israeli Minister drew the attention of the Cypriot government to hateful slogans and slurs against Israel and Israelis in various parts of Cyprus.

These included references such as “F*** Israel” and “F*** Israeli investors.”

The Cypriot government has made clear that it will not tolerate antisemitic rhetoric and actions, which, according to Cypriot law, are criminal offenses.

Vyras, who belongs to the opposition communist party AKEL, responded by stating that the Union of Municipalities “does not endorse interventions from foreign states.

“AKEL also escalated the Interior Minister’s indications into a major political issue, issuing two statements. The first, entitled “Is Netanyahu’s Regime Ruling the Country?”, provoked a swift response from both the government and Cyprus’s largest party, the conservative Democratic Rally (DISY), which is also part of the opposition.

Both strongly rejected the references and condemned the statement. “If the letter that AKEL is referring to today had come from the Palestinian side with slogans directed against them, would the party have issued a statement? Would it have reacted with the same sensitivity?” asked DISY.

AKEL responded with a second, fuming statement entitled “What Do You Owe the Fascist Murderer Netanyahu?”

The government and DISY again condemned the communist party’s slurs, with DISY accusing AKEL of offering nothing to the country.

“On the contrary,” said the party, “it exposes our homeland and undermines the Republic of Cyprus’s efforts to maintain its role as a reliable and responsible force in the region and in Europe.”

AKEL has always maintained a hostile stance towards Israel. However, during its own term in office (2008–2013), efforts to cooperate in the energy sector and elsewhere were intensified, and its anti-Israeli rhetoric was reduced to a minimum.

Last June, Abdallah Attari, the Palestinian Authority representative in Cyprus, was invited to an AKEL party conference—an unprecedented move from a party and an unprecedented attendance by a member of the diplomatic corps.

There, AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou launched a tirade against the government and Israel, even repeating the antisemitic conspiracy theory of the “Second Zion” and claiming that Israel is buying up Cyprus with the aim of controlling it.

The incident enraged the Cypriot government. According to information obtained and verified by TPS-IL, the government warned Attari that his whole behavior was highly unbecoming of his diplomatic status. Cyprus has recognized a Palestinian state since 1988.

Attari is known for causing scenes and verbally attacking Israeli embassy staff, as well as Cypriot journalists who do not share his views.

Cyprus is in the early stages of an election campaign ahead of crucial parliamentary elections that will shape the political balance.

AKEL, which has been experiencing dramatic declines in its poll ratings, has made the Palestinian issue the main focus of its political agenda.

According to recent reports in the Cypriot press, it has now managed to halt its losses and even record a marginal increase.

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Produced by Israeli Aerospace Industries, the Barak MX provides comprehensive protection against a wide array of aerial threats, including aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.

By Kostis Konstantinou, TPS

While Cypriot officials refused to respond on the record to Turkish criticism of Nicosia’s purchase of an Israeli air defense system, one official told the Press Service of Israel that Ankara is likely trying to stir tension in the Eastern Mediterranean to extract concessions.

Turkey, the Cypriot source said, is furious over the growing ties between Jerusalem and Nicosia and encouraged by the United States.

Officials in the Turkish Defense Ministry were quoted by the Associated Press as saying that Cyprus’ purchase of the Israeli-made Barak MX air defense system could destabilize the divided island’s “fragile balance,” leading to “dangerous consequences.”

The second shipment of the system reportedly arrived in Cyprus in recent days. Nicosia is retiring its aging Russian BUK-M1 systems.

Produced by Israeli Aerospace Industries, the Barak MX provides comprehensive protection against a wide array of aerial threats, including aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.

Greece is also considering purchasing the Barak MX to replace its U.S.-made HAWK and Soviet-era S-300 air defense systems.

Turkey has openly admitted to establishing a drone base in Turkish-occupied North Cyprus. It is estimated to have 320 tanks and 650 armored personnel carriers stationed in the northern part of the island.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island and captured 37% of its territory.

In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed, a move condemned by the United Nations. No country except Turkey recognizes the self-proclaimed state.

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The logistical feat required a series of coordinated actions that began with an email on Saturday afternoon from a transplant coordinator in Cyprus.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

In a race against time, Israeli and Cypriot medical teams pulled off a rare and complex cross-border operation that culminated in a life-saving heart transplant at Beilinson Hospital this week — the first time in three decades that a heart donated abroad was transplanted in Israel.

The operation, orchestrated by the National Transplant Center and Beilinson Medical Center, involved the transplantation of both a heart and lungs donated in Cyprus.

The organs were flown to Israel and successfully transplanted into two critically ill patients — a 34-year-old woman suffering from end-stage heart failure and a 68-year-old woman with severe lung disease.

“This is saving lives beyond borders,” said Dr. Yuri Peischowicz, Director of the Thoracic Surgery Department at Beilinson.

“I have been involved in hundreds of heart and lung transplants, and this is the first time I have saved a heart in a foreign country and brought it for transplantation in Israel. A heart can survive outside the body for only four hours, and we were up to the task. At 10:30 we completed the rescue in Cyprus, and by 12:00 we were already in the operating rooms at Beilinson.”

The logistical feat required a series of coordinated actions that began with an email on Saturday afternoon from a transplant coordinator in Cyprus.

Dr. Tamar Ashkenazi, Director of the National Transplant Center, described the scramble that followed: “At 12 noon I received the offer for a heart and lung donation. We began by transferring medical information to teams in Israel to assess the organs, and simultaneously launched a logistical journey — securing a private plane during peak summer travel, organizing customs clearance, and obtaining emergency budget approval.”

By 4:30 a.m. Sunday, the medical team was already at Ben-Gurion Airport. The delegation to Cyprus included Dr. Peischowicz, Dr. Ben Ben Avraham, operating room nurse Magdi Kabah, and lung machine operator Sanyan El Haj.

But the operation faced more than hurdles. After arriving in Larnaca, the team’s driver to Nicosia broke down en route.

“A driver and car were immediately replaced,” Ashkenazi recounted. “And in the end, the team in Nicosia helped us return to Larnaca with the organs — in a police helicopter straight to the field — to shorten the time.”

Back at Beilinson, parallel preparations were already underway. Two patients were prepped for surgery by a team involving dozens of staff: anesthesiologists, nurses, heart-lung machine operators, transplant coordinators, and more.

The heart transplant was performed by Dr. Udi Jacobson and Prof. Dan Aravot, while the lung transplant was led by Dr. Israel Kuznitz, Prof. Erez Sharoni, and Dr. Merav Rokach.

Both surgeries were successful. The patients are now recovering in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit under the supervision of Dr. Danny Gurfil.

“The cooperation with Cyprus, including in the cross-donation program for living donors, is built on many, many people — all of them extraordinarily kind and generous, with goodwill, and fans of Israel,” said Ashkenazi.

Peischowicz stress that the day’s success was not about records but lives. “It is exciting to see dozens of people in Israel and Cyprus who immediately mobilized to save the lives of two women.”

In 2024, Israeli and Cypriot doctors performed eight kidney transplants in a one day of carefully coordinated life-saving procedures. In all, five Israelis and three Cypriot citizens received a new kidney on Monday.

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Cyprus would have two choices: Either keep the Palestinians confined in camps or allow them freedom to roam the country.

By Michael Rubin, Middle East Forum

The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has suggested Cyprus could be a “humanitarian transit area” in a $2 billion scheme to “temporarily” house Palestinian refugees during Gaza’s rebuilding.

While the Foundation has denied the plan, rumors persist, and the Trump administration appears increasingly to believe that Cyprus could be the answer to its diplomatic problems.

Cyprus has a long history of being a hub for humanitarian relief, but it should resist any pressure by Washington to house Palestinian refugees, even temporarily.

Many U.S. presidents conceived of alliances as symbiotic; too often, though, Trump views alliances as temporary conveniences in which the United States receives a favor but has no need to fulfill its commitments once the crisis passes.

While Cyprus was the crucial node for the Biden-era humanitarian corridor and may again help send food and supplies to alleviate hunger in Gaza, even temporary housing of Palestinian refugees on the island would be a mistake whose costs would be far greater to Cyprus than any remuneration the Cypriot government might receive.

There is precedent for refugees transiting Cyprus. After the Holocaust, Cyprus housed displaced persons camps and was a transit point for Jewish refugees entering Palestine.

During Middle East wars, the island became a safe zone to evacuate foreign civilians.

Palestinians, however, have abused Cypriot hospitality.

In 2002, after Palestinian terrorists seized the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Cypriot government allowed the international community to strong-arm it into accepting the attack’s ringleader Abdullah Daoud, the chief of Palestinian intelligence in Bethlehem, who violated the terms of his release as he arrived in Cyprus.

While he was supposed to refrain from terrorism and Palestinian activism on Cypriot soil, he used Cyprus to plot new terrorism. If one Palestinian terrorist was difficult, thousands could create insurmountable problems.

Cyprus would have two choices: Either keep the Palestinians confined in camps or allow them freedom to roam the country.

The first option might seem optimal, but, just as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)’s own documents suggested it sought to end its operations by 1954, temporary solutions are not always temporary.

As soon as Palestinians leave Gaza, the sense of crisis that energizes international crises will end. Cyprus might be stuck with a long-term Palestinian presence; locking them in camps could harm Cyprus’s image.

Allowing the Palestinians to leave their camps could be even more problematic. Most refugees arriving in Cyprus will have lived their entire adult lives under Hamas. They will bring with them a culture entirely at odds with Cyprus’ own.

The problem is not only religion, but also the treatment of women. Cyprus’ economy relies on tourism. If unemployed or underemployed Palestinians start harassing girls, women, and tourists, the blow to Cyprus’s long-term brand could last years after the Gazans return.

Lone wolf Palestinian attacks on Israeli, American, or European tourists would be a disaster for the tourism industry.

The idea that Cyprus should house any long-term Muslim refugees is unfair for two other reasons.

First, Cyprus already hosts 160,000 Turkish settlers. While they may live in the occupied zone, they still represent a long-term strain on Cypriot resources.

Second, there is a fundamental lack of logic when there are 21 Arab countries (not counting Arab League recognition of Palestine) that are culturally and linguistically far more similar to Gaza’s population than Cyprus.

While much of the international community blames Israel for the current state of Palestinians in Gaza, they fail to ask why the current conflict is the only one in the world where civilian refugees cannot flee to a neighboring state—Egypt—to escape war.

Saudi Arabia has thousands of air-conditioned tents to host pilgrims during the Hajj; these remain in storage the rest of the year but could easily substitute for a refugee camp.

If the Arab governments truly believed Palestinian displacement from Gaza was temporary, they would have no reason to avoid building camps in their own countries.

Cyprus is a crucial partner for peace and humanitarian relief in the region. Like Greece, Cyprus has close ties with both Arab states and Israel. It has cultivated its diplomatic strength over years and across administrations.

While Cyprus plays the long game, Washington’s concept of commitment and strategy seldom exceeds four years. American officials might make the right promises, but credibility and commitment are substantive rather than rhetorical concepts.

In the long-term, Cyprus’ brand is far too important for peace and security to be squandered on an ill-thought-out scheme plan.

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Cyprus will hold parliamentary elections in June, and a political party sees its criticism of Israel as a potential boost to its support.

By Yair Kleinbaum, JFeed

Israeli real estate purchases on the neighboring island have become a focal point of antisemitic rhetoric and political incitement.

Cyprus’s second-largest party, AKEL, Secretary-General, Stefanos Stefanou, claimed that one of the country’s main problems is Israelis buying land near critical infrastructure and strategic areas.

“If we don’t take decisive action now, we will one day realize our land no longer belongs to us,” he warned.

Stefanou’s hate campaign on TikTok accused Israeli buyers of enabling the creation of gated communities, Zionist schools, synagogues, and control over key economic sectors.

He blamed his own government for allowing “uncontrolled” land sales, calling it a dire threat to national sovereignty. He urged President Nikos Christodoulides’s administration to act swiftly and decisively.

Stefanou claimed his statements were not rooted in xenophobia or antisemitism, but a genuine concern that Cyprus is losing control of its territory, and he even suggested the purchases extend into the Turkish-occupied areas of the island. During his speech, he noticeably ignored similar investment patterns by non-EU foreigners.

The Palestinian Ambassador to Cyprus, Abdullah Attari, even addressed the congress, marking the first time a foreign ambassador spoke at a local party event.

Cyprus will hold parliamentary elections in June, and AKEL sees its criticism of Israel as a potential boost to its support.

AKEL, historically rooted in communism, has been anti-Israel for years, intensifying since October 7.

While the party frequently discusses Gaza using terms like genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and starvation, this was the first time its leader employed overtly antisemitic language.

Stefanou’s comments drew widespread condemnation from central and moderate political figures and journalists, but the Cypriot government chose not to respond. Israel’s Ambassador to Cyprus, Oren Anolig, issued a strong condemnation:

“With deep concern and grave worry, we observe and denounce the emergence of atypical antisemitic rhetoric in public discourse in Cyprus in recent days.

Rhetoric cloaked as ‘political concern’ that resurrects the dark patterns of the past: collective accusations, conspiracy theories, scapegoating an entire ethnic group.”

Anolig emphasized that “Diplomats are trained to avoid interfering in domestic affairs, but there are moments when silence becomes incomprehensible, or worse. When a line is crossed, when a community is singled out, when a shared value is under threat, we must speak up.”

Online Hate Campaign: “Cyprus Promised to Jews”

Alongside Stefanou’s statements, a TikTok campaign featuring AI-generated videos has stirred controversy. One clip shows a man portrayed as an ultra-Orthodox Jew with an Israeli accent, claiming that Israelis are continuously buying land because “God promised Cyprus to us after Israel.”

He even claims Israelis are purchasing property in the Turkish-occupied zones and building kosher restaurants there.

In another video filmed with a tallit and soundtrack of “Hava Nagila,” the “Jew” says: “Cyprus was promised to us 3,500 years ago, finally, I’m home.”

The campaign insinuates that Israeli purchases are displacing Cypriots: “It’s already hard for a Cypriot to buy a home for themselves or their kids because Israelis are buying everything.”

Official figures show about 2,500 Israelis reside in Cyprus, but many hold dual EU citizenship, raising estimates to between 12,000 and 15,000 Israeli nationals, including investors who buy property for investment purposes.

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The Rodon Hotel’s billionaire Hong Kong owner made the generous offer after being contacted by Israeli brothers.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Israelis stranded by the closure of Israel’s airspace due to the war with Iran have been enjoying a free stay in a luxury Cyprus hotel since Thursday, due to the generosity of its billionaire Hong Kong owner.

The owner of the Rodon Hotel, who wished to remain anonymous, had been contacted by Israeli brothers David and Ben Shlomo Cohen, who knew him through their real estate business on the island.

“We were also stuck in Cyprus,” the brothers told Israel’s Channel 12’s digital arm, Mako, “and it’s not an easy situation to be far from home without being able to return or at least knowing when we will be able to get home. That’s why we understand all the Israelis who are stuck even more.”

The man “really loves Israel,” they said, and “as soon as he heard about the war and realized that there were thousands of Israelis in Cyprus who had to spend quite a bit of money on their stay, he decided to help immediately. Not with words, but with deeds,” they said.

The 154-room, family-friendly hotel is part of a mountain-top resort located in the village of Agros, about a 40-minute drive from Limassol.

Its guests can enjoy pools, sports facilities, a gym and laundry service – a boon for those forced to unexpectedly extend their stay abroad until a rescue flight or boat ride is arranged to bring them back to Israel.

The offer, based on room availability, was made for a week, until June 26, with priority given to those in financial distress and those who had no place to stay, said David.

Requests for rooms could be made only through the brothers, not the hotel, they noted, offering Ben Shlomo’s email, Cohengroup38@gmail.com.

The generous donor, who owns hotels all over the world, also said that the offer could be extended based on the circumstances, they said.

As Israel and Iran agreed on Tuesday to a ceasefire, the owner may see his hotel rapidly empty of its sudden influx of guests, depending on whether the ceasefire holds and how quickly regular transportation can be reestablished to the Jewish state.

This may still take several days, however, as there are about 15,000 Jews stranded in Cyprus according to the country’s chief rabbi, Zeev Raskin, who is also the leader of Chabad on the island.

He told the Times of Israel news outlet on Sunday that the Hasidic sect, known for its Jewish outreach programs in centers around the world, had helped more than 12,000 such travelers in Cyprus since Israel launched Operation Rising Lion to destroy Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities on June 13.

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The Israeli Navy has launched multiple rescues of citizens stranded at sea on their way home from Cyprus.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

The outbreak of the Israel-Iran war earlier in June saw the Jewish State shutter its airspace, stranding approximately 100,000 of its citizens outside the country’s borders.

With limited flights returning to the country, many Israelis abroad have embraced alternative routes for returning home, including crossing via Israel’s land borders with Egypt and Jordan.

Tens of thousands of Israelis unable to book a rescue flight have sailed from the nearby island of Cyprus to Israel, typically docking at the Port of Haifa.

But these voyages to Israel carry inherent risk, with inexperienced skippers, aging boats, and GPS disruptions putting passengers at risk.

In recent days, the Israeli Navy and other authorities have been forced to carry out multiple maritime rescues of citizens who ran into trouble at sea.

Glen Smirnov, a 34-year-old resident of Holon, told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet about his harrowing experience, when the mast of the yacht transporting him and other Israelis from Cyprus to Haifa suddenly snapped.

Smirnov, who was stuck abroad for more than a week, booked the yacht trip with a group of Israelis who were also unable to secure flights home.

Among the group were a grandmother in her 70s, a six-year-old boy, and three soldiers who had been called up to the reserves.

Most of the voyage went smoothly, Smirnov recounted, but when the yacht was nearing the northern city of Haifa, the mast of the small boat suddenly broke.

He said that the yacht’s skipper tried for an extended period of time to secure the mast using wiring, but it appeared to be irreparably broken.

Smirnov and other passengers on the ship endured the boat’s uncontrollable, choppy movements in the water, saying that most of those onboard were vomiting.

Fortunately, a passing navy shop noted that the yacht was in trouble, and informed maritime police, who carried out a rescue mission.

“Around 10:00, we received a report of a vessel in distress about 10 kilometers west of Haifa, with a broken mast,” Superintendent Ran Vered, a maritime police officer responsible for Israel’s northern territorial waters, told Ynet.

“Without a mast, there’s no sail — essentially the boat’s engine — so once it falls, the vessel is left drifting uncontrollably in open water, which is a very dangerous situation,” he added.

Smirnov praised the maritime police as “amazing,” adding that “they quickly got everyone onto their ships, calmed us down and took us back to shore.”

Vered warned about the dangers of voyages from Cyprus to Israel, noting that many of the passengers on these journeys have little experience sailing for an extended period of time.

Sailing to Israel from Cyprus is a “long and challenging journey, which takes about 24 hours,” Vered told Ynet.

“A yacht is a small, confined space, and by the time people reach Israeli waters, they’re often physically and mentally exhausted — suffering from nausea, vomiting, and emotional distress. There is a clear and immediate risk to human life here, and that’s the guiding value behind our decision to respond [tp vessels in distress] quickly.”

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