Israeli envoy says Iran strike on Cyprus reflects ‘desperation’

Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations said on Tuesday that Iran’s actions involving Cyprus underline what he described as Tehran’s growing desperation.

Speaking to correspondents at the United Nations, Danny Danon said that Iranian attacks extending beyond Israel and into the wider region, including Cyprus, were a sign of panic rather than a coherent military strategy.

“This is not strategy. It is panic. It is despair,” he said, referring to missile and drone activity that has raised security alerts on the island.

He said missiles had been launched not only at Israel but also “against states in the region, and even on European soil, in Cyprus,” a development he described as deeply destabilising.

The Israeli envoy contrasted Iran’s conduct with that of Israel and the United States, saying their joint military campaign was focused strictly on military objectives.

“We target military infrastructure, they target families,” he insisted, accusing Tehran of attempting to terrorise civilians at home and abroad.

He added that Iran “terrorises its own people, it terrorises us, and now it is trying to terrorise the region and the world”.

Cyprus has been on heightened alert following drone incidents involving the British base at RAF Akrotiri, though the Cypriot government has repeatedly stressed that the republic itself is not a target.

Authorities insist that measures taken so far are precautionary and aimed at protecting civilians and critical infrastructure.

Cypriot officials have urged calm, reiterating that the state is not participating in military operations and remains focused on safeguarding public safety.