Despite its departure from the EU and its domestic political, social, and economic problems, Britain appears willing to play its own distinct role in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Two recent developments are particularly telling, as they appear to demonstrate British intentions.
British Defense Engagement in Lebanon
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Houthis attacked airports in Saudi Arabia
Specifically, Britain recently signed a 31-month memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation with the Lebanese government, under which the British side will strengthen the training and logistical infrastructure of the Lebanese regular army and the country’s intelligence services. The memorandum of cooperation is estimated to cost 16 million pounds (22 million dollars) and expands the framework of British-Lebanese cooperation on security and defense issues that has been in place since 2009.
Speaking on ALPHA Cyprus’s main newscast, the station’s Middle East analyst, Gabriel Charitos, noted that the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) is set to expire definitively at the end of 2026, and for some time now, Western countries, including France and Germany, have expressed interest in “filling this particular gap.” He pointed out that it cannot be ruled out that the signing of the recent memorandum of cooperation might be an indication that Britain has won this race, adding that if this is indeed the case, it may become clear in the coming months.
British Petroleum’s Mammoth Deal in Kurdish Northern Iraq
On the other hand, the British energy giant British Petroleum (BP) has signed a massive deal to exploit the Kirkuk oil fields, which are controlled by the Kurds in northern Iraq.
Commenting on this development, Mr. Charitos pointed out that the strengthening of the British presence in Iraq certainly does not sit well with the current regime in Tehran, and expressed the view that, in the end, it may not have been a coincidence that, in the event of a new U.S. attack, within the context of the Iranian threats recently published by the Financial Times, in addition to U.S. military bases located “in regions beyond the Middle East,” British bases in Cyprus were also mentioned.
Kurds and Israel are concerned about Turkey’s increased presence in Syria
While tensions in Israel-Turkey relations continue, there have been increasing signs in the last 24 hours that Turkey continues to strengthen its military presence in northern Syria. Specifically, a video has been circulating since this morning on Kurdish channels on the Telegram platform that was allegedly filmed on August 18 on the outskirts of the Idlib airport in the northwest the country. According to relevant Kurdish reports, on that day, more than 200 Turkish military vehicles were recorded crossing the border and entering Syria, as well as 20 Turkish armored vehicles.
Meanwhile, the top story on tonight’s main news broadcast on Israeli public television is information leaked by IDF sources, which point to a broad plan to strengthen the Turkish military presence in Syria. According to Israeli military sources, Turkey plans to deploy Turkish air defense systems at various locations in Syria. Israeli sources note that this plan has been put on hold for the time being following the recent Israeli bombing of the Syrian airbase Abu Al-Duhur in the northwest of the country—an event whose aftermath has created further tensions in the already strained Turkey-Israel relations.
Watch Gabriel Charitou’s segment on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Yiannis Xenophontos
