In a powerful new article titled “Northern Cyprus Is Also an Israeli Problem,” published by Jewish News Syndicate, Israeli journalist and geopolitical analyst Ami Shooman lays out a stark reality: the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus has become a growing national security threat—not just to Nicosia and Athens, but to Israel itself. As Shooman argues in his piece—aptly summarised by the headline “Poseidon’s Wrath: Why the Cyprus Question Now Concerns Israel’s Survival”—the region now serves as a staging ground for Turkish militarism, intelligence operations, and terrorist proxies operating with impunity. Israel can no longer afford to treat the Cyprus issue as a peripheral Greek-Turkish dispute; it is a frontline in the struggle to secure its maritime borders, critical infrastructure, and regional stability.
For decades, the Israeli security establishment viewed the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus as a regional issue between NATO allies. But as Shooman convincingly argues, that illusion has collapsed. Today, Northern Cyprus functions as an unregulated Turkish military and intelligence outpost—hosting armed drones, long-range ballistic missiles, SIGINT bases capable of intercepting Israeli communications, and reportedly even covert operational platforms for Hamas and Iran’s Quds Force.
Shooman’s exposé draws on leaked intelligence and recent battlefield findings from Gaza to reveal how Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus has evolved into a permissive zone for anti-Israeli activity, including terror finance, espionage, and proxy coordination. Hamas operatives and Iranian agents have been linked to plots planned in the occupied territory, aimed at Jewish and Israeli targets across Europe.
Israel can no longer afford strategic indifference. As Shooman writes, “Turkey and Iran bypass sanctions and escalate their strategic threat against Israel via this no-man’s land… the time has come to treat Northern Cyprus not as someone else’s problem, but as a growing danger to the Jewish state.”
The implications of this are clear—and urgent. The Eastern Mediterranean democracies of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel now face a common threat in the form of Turkey’s increasingly aggressive, Islamist-aligned foreign policy. This regime is not merely occupying European Union soil—it is enabling rogue actors and threatening the region’s strategic stability.
Despite this, the EU continues security cooperation with Ankara, and NATO’s mechanisms remain paralysed by Turkey’s veto power. Greece and Cyprus—fellow democratic allies of Israel—are left to defend European sovereignty and energy infrastructure against a militarised, revisionist neighbour. But they should not do it alone.
Shooman calls for bold thinking: if the threat from Northern Cyprus intensifies, Israel must consider working with Greece and Cyprus to develop a joint “Poseidon’s Wrath” contingency plan. Such a plan would aim not at provocation, but at safeguarding regional security—neutralising missile sites, eliminating terror bases, and defending the democratic order in the Eastern Mediterranean.
This is not a call to war. It is a call for clarity and preparation. The Jewish people, whose history has taught them the cost of inaction in the face of rising threats, must recognise the strategic value of alliance and deterrence. Greece and Cyprus are no longer just friendly neighbours—they are essential partners in the defence of democracy, energy security, and the rule of law in an increasingly unstable region.
As Turkey deepens its ties to Iran, Hamas, and authoritarian revisionism, Israel’s alignment with Greece and Cyprus is not just natural—it is necessary. Shooman’s article is a wake-up call. The threat is already here. The time to act—diplomatically, militarily, and strategically—is now.
