Why pick on us? Cyprus bemused by Hezbollah threats

Cyprus reacted with incredulity on Thursday to warnings from Lebanon's Hezbollah that the island could be dragged into conflict if tensions with Israel blew up into a fully-fledged war.

The EU member state closest to the Middle East, Cyprus was caught off guard by comments from Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah late on Wednesday that the island could be a target if it permitted Israel to use its military facilities in the event of an attack on Lebanon.

"The Republic of Cyprus is in no way involved in war conflict," Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides responded, describing Nasrallah's comments as "not pleasant."

The EU also weighed in. "Any threats against our member state are threats against the EU," a spokesperson said.

Cyprus has always viewed itself as above the politics of its neighbours and offered sanctuary to tens of thousands of...