A new bombshell report has revealed that Israeli special forces units have trained Southern Cyprus soldiers and taken part in four military drills over the past three years in the ethnically-divided Mediterranean island.
The special forces, closely affiliated with the Israeli army, belong to a “select few” commando units that were tasked with training Greek Cypriot soldiers, according to the Times of Israel report.
The latest of the four military drills has reportedly taken place in the Larnaca region during the first week of December this year, and was curiously titled “Game of Thrones.”
According to the report, Southern Cyprus was chosen as the location for the exercise due to its mountainous terrain, which closely resembles the geographical layout of Lebanon.
In addition to commandos forces, a number of air force units have also taken part in the drills.
A video report by Israeli channel I24 has also stated that cooperation between Israel and Southern Cyprus has reached “unprecedented heights” since the 1974 tensions with Turkey.
The Israeli army has also shared photos of the military drill via its social media accounts.
Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the resources in the area.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island’s Turks and Ankara’s intervention as a guarantor power.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the collapse of a 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the UK.
