EU member Cyprus calls on Lebanon, Israel to show restraint in Middle East

Cyprus's president called for restraint over escalating tensions in the Middle East in separate telephone conversations with the Lebanese and Israeli prime ministers on Saturday, his spokesperson said in a statement.

The east Mediterranean island is the closest European Union member state to the Middle East, and has good relations with both Lebanon and Israel. Cyprus was ready to act as a conduit for diplomacy as well as facilitate contacts between the sides, said spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis.

There has been a sharp escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, a dominant force in Lebanon, since explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies killed 39 and maimed thousands of its members this week, and an Israeli airstrike on Friday killed 31 people, including 16 Hezbollah members.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides "expressed his...