Nicosia, Cyprus. The Iranian embassy in Nicosia on Wednesday denied Israeli allegations that Iran aided the smuggling of explosive drones to Cyprus. The denial followed a joint Israeli announcement issued on Monday.
Embassy response
The embassy said it “strongly rejects the recent allegations” contained in a joint statement by Mossad, the Israel defence forces, and the Israel securities authority.
It said it considers the claims “unfounded and politically motivated”, and described them as an attempt to deflect attention from what it called the failures of the Israeli regime in achieving its objectives in recent military actions conducted jointly with the United States against Iran.
The embassy said that “in the past, officials in Tel Aviv have resorted to various means, including false flag operations, in an effort to undermine Iran’s relations with other countries”, and added that “these attempts have consistently failed to achieve their intended purposes”.
It said it had previously conveyed concerns to Cyprus’ relevant authorities regarding the possibility of such scenarios and risks it said could affect regional stability.
The embassy also said it respects the sovereignty of Cyprus and remains committed to maintaining constructive and friendly relations with all countries based on mutual respect and international law.
Israeli allegations
The Israeli announcement focused on a man named Mehdi Yeka-Dehqan, described as an officer in the Iranian Islamic revolutionary guard, and accused of having “led terror efforts in Azerbaijan”.
It said Dehqan has been “known since January” following “the arrest of an operational infrastructure in Turkey”.
The statement alleged that Dehqan led a cell that “under his guidance … promoted the smuggling of explosive drones from Iran to Turkey and then to Cyprus”, and carried out intelligence collection on the Incirlik United States air force base in Adana in southeastern Turkey.
It also said “similar missions targeting western bases have been exposed previously”.
What impact do you think these competing statements could have on Cyprus’ security posture?