The Cypriot government sough to clarify reports that American soldiers could be deployed to the island, saying any assistance would be limited to helping repatriate foreign nationals.
Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, asked whether American soldiers were expected to arrive in Cyprus, said that “what may arise, on the basis of requests received, is facilitation for the repatriation of third-country nationals, as was the case in the summer, with the US.”
The comments followed a report on HellasJournal that the United States has asked Cyprus to help facilitate the evacuation of American citizens from Middle East countries caught up in the US-Israel war against Iran. Washington also asked to send US Marines to help secure a humanitarian corridor, according to those reports. The request is said to be strictly humanitarian in nature.
The development comes as the State Department urged American citizens in almost all Middle East countries — including Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories — to “leave now” using commercial means. Assistant Secretary of State Mora Namdar posted the directive on X, citing “serious risks” to the safety of US nationals. The warning covers 14 countries, among them Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria.
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