The United States has asked Cyprus to serve as a humanitarian corridor for American citizens expected to flee the Middle East as fighting intensifies in the US-Israel war against Iran, according to Hellasjournal.com.
Washington plans to deploy US Marines to Cyprus to help secure the corridor, with the assistance strictly limited to humanitarian purposes, the report said.
The State Department has urged American citizens in nearly all Middle Eastern countries — including Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories — to “leave now” using commercial means, citing “serious risks” to their safety amid the ongoing conflict.
The advisory, which covers 14 countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria, was posted on X by Assistant Secretary of State Mora Namdar.
This is not the first time Cyprus has played this role. The island was used to transfer Western nationals, particularly Americans, out of Israel following the Hamas attack in October 2023.
Cyprus has also previously assisted in evacuations of Palestinians and Lebanese civilians displaced by Israeli military operations in the region.
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