in-cyprus 23 August 2025
Six activist organisations have accused the Cyprus government of enabling covert military operations after claiming a US military aircraft used the island as a transit point between Qatar and Israel on Wednesday morning.
The coalition released flight tracking data showing a US C-17 transport aircraft departing Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar with movements near Paphos International Airport before continuing to Israel. The groups characterised the operation as evidence Cyprus has “effectively surrendered sovereignty” to foreign military interests.
“The aircraft departed from the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and was recorded on a trajectory towards Paphos International Airport,” the statement said. “Shortly before reaching its destination, however, the flight signal went offline, making it unclear whether the plane actually landed at Paphos or diverted to the nearby Mari Navy Base.”
According to the organisations’ analysis, the C-17 reappeared on radar an hour later en route to Israel. They described the manoeuvre as a “phantom landing” designed to disguise direct routing between the US base and Israel.
“The altitude readings of the C-17 never dropped to zero, indicating that it did not land in Paphos at all but merely passed over the region in an apparent attempt to trick flight-tracking systems,” the statement claimed.
The statement was signed by AFOA, BDS Cyprus, CY Movement to Gaza, Far Right Watch Cyprus, Genocide-Free Cyprus and United for Palestine – Cyprus.
“This operation is almost certainly not related to humanitarian aid,” the groups stated. “There would be no reason for a US military cargo aircraft to undertake such a secretive journey if its purpose were humanitarian.”
The groups accused the Christodoulides government of allowing “Israel control over key security measures on the island, including its airports, ports and other critical infrastructure.” They claimed this arrangement has given “foreign militaries the ability to operate freely on Cypriot soil without accountability to the Cypriot people.”
The organisations demanded immediate transparency from the government, asking: “What cargo/personnel was the aircraft transporting? Was Paphos Airport or Mari Navy Base knowingly made available for transfer of military aid to Israel? What is the reasoning behind the covert operations from the island?”
They criticised media coverage of such incidents, stating: “At this critical moment, the Cypriot media has a responsibility to challenge the government’s silence and expose the use of national facilities for foreign military operations that facilitate war crimes.”
The statement concluded: “By permitting such flights and enabling operation from the island to aid the US and Israel, the Cypriot government has effectively abdicated its sovereignty – turning the island into a silent accomplice in genocide.”
Flight tracking data was provided by Genocide-Free Cyprus.
