Cyprus on standby to evacuate civilians if standoff between Israel and Hezbollah escalates

Cyprus said it was on standby to help with the evacuations of civilians from the Middle East if a standoff between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon escalates further. 

Beirut is bracing for a possible escalation after a rocket killed 12 young people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. 

The US and Israel both accuse Lebanon of perpetrating that attack on Majdal Shams - claims the Iran-backed group denies. 

Last October, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said Cyprus was prepared to help evacuate citizens from the Middle East since the start of the war. 

“We have established the manner in which the scheme will operate, if needed,” Kombos said.

“We are all hoping it won’t be necessary, but should that not happen, Cyprus will continue to operate as a safety bridge in facilitating the departure of civilians from any embattled zone in our area."