Greek Cypriot administration braces for migrant surge as Israel intensifies attacks on Lebanon

The Greek Cypriot administration has been bracing for a migrant surge as Israel intensifies its attacks on Lebanon, local media reported on Monday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Intense Israeli air strikes are raising alarm over the potential collapse of Lebanon’s political system, leading to widespread humanitarian concerns not only among the neighbouring countries, but also in the EU, according to the daily, Kathimerini.

The administration, geographically the closest member of the EU to Lebanon, closely monitoring the situation, with fears of a major surge in migrant flows from Lebanon, it said.

According to the daily, the administration’s biggest fear is that Lebanon’s political system would collapse, leading to a fresh surge of migrants, especially when some 2 million illegal migrants are already residing on Lebanon’s coast.

The administration is also ramping up military cooperation with international partners, including the US, which increased its military presence on the island to assist with potential evacuations, it said.

Since 23 September, Israel has launched massive air strikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 900 people and injuring over 2,700 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah commanders were killed in the assault, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an air strike in Beirut on Friday.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on 7 October last year.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

READ: Lebanon says around 1 million people displaced due to Israeli attacks