Greece and France mobilise to defend Cyprus after attack on British base on the island

Brussels – Following Greece, France has also announced that it will mobilise its military arsenal to strengthen the defence of Cyprus, a European Union outpost overlooking the Middle East, where war rages between the US and Israel against Iran. The attack—probably launched by Hezbollah—on the British base in Akrotiri, in the south of the island, triggered a chain reaction: Nicosia asked for help, Athens deployed two frigates and two F-16 fighter jets, and Paris will send a frigate and anti-drone systems. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said he was also in contact with Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni. He urged the EU to follow the path taken by Greece and France. 

In a joint press conference with Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, who travelled immediately to Cyprus, Christodoulides thanked Athens for a “move that also paves the way for the European Union“, because its immediate response has been followed by other Member States. Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, expressed “the EU’s firm support and solidarity with Cyprus” in a phone call with Christodoulides, and thanked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis “for the rapid military support provided by Greece to Cyprus“. Ursula von der Leyen, yesterday (2 March), on the sidelines of a telephone conversation with the Cypriot president, said: “We stand collectively, firmly, and unequivocally alongside our Member States in the face of any threat.” 

Treaties themselves bind EU Member States indissolubly in the event of armed aggression. Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union introduces the so-called mutual defence clause, which obliges EU countries to assist “with all means at their disposal” a Member State “that is the victim of armed aggression on its territory.” A scenario that has never even been hypothesised until now, but which is no longer so far-fetched. The decision by the United States and Israel to launch a large-scale attack on Iran risks gradually dragging the entire West into a gruelling war. Starting with southern Europe, the geographically closest front. 

This dynamic was already glimpsed with the attack on the British base in Cyprus: the United Kingdom agreed to the American request to use its bases to strike Iranian missile sites. A few hours later, drones launched from the coast of Lebanon—in the area controlled by Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran—targeted the Royal Air Force base in the EU member state. And now, London is reportedly considering sending a Royal Navy destroyer to Cyprus. 

The risk of escalation is extremely high. This is also because the Islamic Republic’s strategy seems to be to widen the conflict as much as possible, in an attempt to make it unsustainable for Western economies. “We will consider any European military action as an act of war that requires a response,” warned Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Fiery words were also heard from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who spoke of a “broad consensus in Europe” for military action against the Ayatollah regime and assured that the Atlantic Alliance “will defend every inch of its territory.” 

For now, the European Commission is trying to tone down the rhetoric: “There have been no specific discussions on activating the mutual defence clause,” chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said today (3 March), stressing that “yesterday’s incident involved a targeted attack on a British base in Akrotiri.” In short, Iran’s target was not a member country. If this were to happen, “it would be up to the EU member state that was the victim of an alleged armed attack to make the legal and political assessment before activating the mutual defence clause,” Pinho said.