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Cyprus, Israel start three-day military exercise

Xinhua, March 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Cyprus and Israel started a three-day military exercise involving Israeli jets and Cypriot ground forces, the Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday.

A ministry statement said the exercise, code-named "Onisilos-Gideon 1, 2016," aims at the implementation of the bilateral military cooperation program.

It added that as part of the exercise Israeli jets flew for several hours over the central and western part of Cyprus and within the Nicosia Flight Information Region.

Cyprus and Israel traditionally have close relations despite the fact that the eastern Mediterranean island is also on friendly terms with almost all Arab countries, including Israel's neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and also Syria before the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

Protection of offshore natural gas installations, existing and planned, falls within the scope of the military cooperation of Cyprus and Israel.

The two countries have also agreements on combating terrorism in the region.

Cyprus recently foiled two plans to carry out attacks against Israeli interests on the island.

Last year, it seized more than 10 tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer which can easily be turned into explosives, which was amassed in a house rented by a Hezbollah cell in the southeastern city of Larnaca.

Authorities said the attacks would be against unspecified Israeli targets.

In March 2013, a Hezbollah operative was jailed by Cyprus after admitting that he had been monitoring the routes of buses used by Israeli tourists for the purpose of carrying out attacks on them. Endit