UK Uses Cyprus Base To Arm Israel For War On Gaza: Report (image@ RAFAkrotiri)
Angry Cypriots gathered at a British airbase protesting against the alleged funnelling of weapons to Israel for its genocidal war on Gaza. The incident happened at Akrotiri, near Limassol in southern Cyprus. The British airbase is about 40 minutes flying time from Tel Aviv.
“Demonstration against the British base at Akrotiri is being organised to condemn the transport of arms from the British bases to support the Israeli army’s military operation in Gaza Strip, said Charis Pashias, head of Cyprus Peace Council”, as quoted by Al Jazeera. He said, locals have seen a daily increase in the number of flights from Akrotiri, since the beginning of the war on October 7th. Pashias further added that the locals have also “become aware of the illegal presence of thousands of American soldiers now stationed in Akrotiri.
Earlier, UK’s Ministry of Defence has stated information on RAF (Royal Air Force – air force of UK) flights passing between Akrotiri and Israe but did not specify information on what is being transported, and will not disclose details of US activity from Cyprus. Grant Shapps, Britain’s Defence Minister told the Parliament last month that Britain would only provide “defensive material, or material that might help with the recovery of hostages”.
According to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, some 40 heavy-transport aircraft operated by the United States Air Force landed there from US and NATO depots in Europe during the first 24 days of the war. Another 20 heavy-lift planes from Britain’s Royal Air Force at the base over the same period, as reported by Haaretz.
UK based news website, Declassified, which is focused on British foreign policy said that in November, RAF transport aircraft flew daily from Akrotiri to Tel Aviv between October 13 and 26. The news website found no record of British military flights between Israel and Akrotiri over two months prior before October 7th. According to Campaign Against Arms Trade, Israel uses F-35 jets to bomb Gaza. The said aircraft is jointly produced by US and UK along with other partners.
Meanwhile, the extent up to which the ethnic Greek Cypriot government, which controls the country’s southern territory, is informed about how Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the British base which house a US-UK electronic intelligence station, are used in the war on Gaza. “Cyprus is neither a US-NATO nor a British aggressive launching pad…we the Cypriot people do not want our country to be involved in any way in the bloody massacre taking place in the Gaza Strip”, said Pashias, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
