https://sputnikglobe.com/20231212/report-uk-secretly-sent-500-troops-to-cyprus-base-supplying-weapons-to-israel-1115546325.html
Report: UK Secretly Sent 500 Troops to Cyprus Base Supplying Weapons to Israel
Report: UK Secretly Sent 500 Troops to Cyprus Base Supplying Weapons to Israel
Sputnik International
At least 500 UK troops were sent to UK military bases in Cyprus in secret, a letter from the British foreign minister to a member of parliament has revealed.
2023-12-12T23:48+0000
2023-12-12T23:48+0000
2024-01-30T10:28+0000
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israel-gaza conflict
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The UK has sent at least 500 additional troops to a base in Cyprus, about 200 miles from Tel Aviv, after Israel began its bombing campaign of Gaza, according to UK media.Previously, the UK admitted to sending 1,000 troops to the East Mediterranean to support Israel but did not provide details on where the troops were deployed. But James Heappey, who serves as the minister for the UK's armed forces, confirmed in a letter to a British MP that some 500 troops had been dispatched to Cyprus.The UK has two military bases in Cyprus that are considered UK soil, Dhekelia in the eastern part of the island and Akrotiri in the west. Royal Air Force (RAF) Akrotiri is the larger of the two and also includes a base used by the US military. RAF Akrotiri has been used by the UK as a staging area for bombing campaigns in the Middle East.Heappey’s letter also reportedly stated that additional troops were sent to Egypt, Israel and Lebanon, but declined to reveal numbers citing “operational security reasons.”The latest deployment increases the number of UK troops stationed in Cyprus to 2,717, with an additional 273 civil servants. An additional 129 US troops are known to be stationed within UK bases in Cyprus but it is unknown if that number has increased in recent months.A spokesperson for the Cypriot government denied that the country is being used to provide military aid to Israel, an assertion that was backed by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.However, at least 30 RAF military transport flights have flown from RAF Akrotiri to Tel Aviv since the bombing began. In addition, Israeli media reported that at least 40 US Air Force “heavylifter” transport planes landed in RAF Akrotiri, along with a handful of Dutch and German military transports.The 2,717 British troops now known to be in Cyprus may not be all the UK troops in the country. In October, it was reported by British media that the UK’s Special Air Services (SAS), the elite troops of the UK military, were placed on standby in Cyprus, ostensibly to rescue British hostages held by Hamas and other Brits trapped in Gaza.The day after that report was released, the UK military requested media outlets stop reporting on the SAS in Gaza. The UK government has continued to refuse to confirm or deny the SAS presence in Gaza.British MP Kenny MacAskill, speaking with UK media, called for transparency in troop deployments in the area. Cyprus has offered to act as a humanitarian aid hub for Gaza after hostilities cease. On Tuesday, Cyprus was one of 153 UN General Assembly members to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. In a previous vote held on October 27, Cyprus was one of 45 countries to abstain from voting for a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce.In the interim between those two votes, large protests in Cyprus took place in support of a ceasefire and multiple Cypriot MPs criticized the government’s stance.
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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231211/mercs-unmasked-us-hired-guns-from-ukraine-spotted-in-gaza-operating-on-behalf-of-israel-1115521415.html
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uk support of israel, cyprus role in gaza, british troops in gaza, uk troops in cyprus, raf akrotiri
uk support of israel, cyprus role in gaza, british troops in gaza, uk troops in cyprus, raf akrotiri
Report: UK Secretly Sent 500 Troops to Cyprus Base Supplying Weapons to Israel
23:48 GMT 12.12.2023 (Updated: 10:28 GMT 30.01.2024) Cyprus is an island that sits in the East Mediterranean Sea, about 230 miles from the Gaza Strip. Not unlike Palestine, its territory is disputed by two peoples, the Turkish Cypriots in the north and the Greek Cypriots to the south, where UK and US troops are stationed.
The UK has sent at least 500 additional troops to a base in Cyprus, about 200 miles from Tel Aviv, after Israel began its bombing campaign of Gaza,
according to UK media.
Previously, the UK admitted to sending 1,000 troops to the East Mediterranean to support Israel but did not provide details on where the troops were deployed. But James Heappey, who serves as the minister for the UK's armed forces, confirmed in a letter to a British MP that some 500 troops had been dispatched to Cyprus.
The UK has two military bases in Cyprus that are considered UK soil, Dhekelia in the eastern part of the island and Akrotiri in the west. Royal Air Force (RAF) Akrotiri is the larger of the two and also includes a base used by the US military. RAF Akrotiri has been used by the UK as a staging area for bombing campaigns in the Middle East.
Heappey’s letter also reportedly stated that additional troops were sent to Egypt, Israel and Lebanon, but declined to reveal numbers citing “operational security reasons.”
23 November 2023, 16:21 GMT
The latest deployment increases the number of UK troops stationed in Cyprus to 2,717, with an additional 273 civil servants. An additional 129 US troops are known to be stationed within UK bases in Cyprus but it is unknown if that number has increased in recent months.
A spokesperson for the Cypriot government denied that the country is being used to provide military aid to Israel, an assertion that was backed by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
“There is no such information,” Christodoulides told reporters. “Our country cannot be used as a base for war operations.”
However, at least 30 RAF military transport flights have flown from RAF Akrotiri to Tel Aviv since the bombing began. In addition, Israeli media reported that at least 40 US Air Force “heavylifter” transport planes landed in RAF Akrotiri, along with a handful of Dutch and German military transports.
The 2,717 British troops now known to be in Cyprus may not be all the UK troops in the country. In October, it was reported by British media that the UK’s Special Air Services (SAS), the elite troops of the UK military, were placed on standby in Cyprus, ostensibly to rescue British hostages held by Hamas and other Brits trapped in Gaza.
The day after that report was released, the UK military requested media outlets stop reporting on the SAS in Gaza. The UK government has continued to refuse to confirm or deny the SAS presence in Gaza.
11 December 2023, 14:08 GMT
British MP Kenny MacAskill, speaking with UK media, called for transparency in troop deployments in the area.
“We require openness and accountability about what is happening at Britain’s bases on Cyprus and the role they are playing in Israel’s criminal bombing of Gaza. 500 additional military personnel to Cyprus is a huge deployment given the large contingent already based there. What is their role?” asked MacAskill.
Cyprus has offered to act as a humanitarian aid hub for Gaza after hostilities cease. On Tuesday, Cyprus was one of 153 UN General Assembly members to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. In a previous vote held on October 27, Cyprus was one of 45 countries to abstain from voting for a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce.
In the interim between those two votes,
large protests in Cyprus took place in support of a ceasefire and multiple
Cypriot MPs criticized the government’s stance.
