British military aircraft have been making frequent flights between the country’s Sovereign Base Area in Akrotiri and Israel since the Gaza crisis erupted in October.
A UK-based website by the name of Declassified UK said on Friday it had counted a total of 33 flights made by the country’s Royal Air Force (RAF) between the base and Tel Aviv. They added that flight records dating back to August 6 showed no British military flights between Akrotiri and Israel before the outbreak of violence.
In response, the British defence ministry said on Friday evening that “the RAF has operated 17 flights into Tel Aviv in order to support the UK’s diplomatic engagement in the country as well as to assist with the departure of British nationals.”
“None of these flights transported any lethal aid for foreign nations,” they added.
The British Defence Ministry told the Cyprus Mail they “will not provide a running commentary on individual flights”.
In addition, Cypriot Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told the Cyprus Mail he had received no information about the flights.