The two largest companies in the Israeli defense industry are reportedly considering expanding their operations to Cyprus. This is mentioned in a post on the Mossad account on Platform X, which was published shortly after midnight today, Tuesday (September 15). The companies in question are Rafael and Elbit, though others operating in the same sector are not ruled out. Mossad’s post points out that Cyprus offers the following two key advantages. First, it is a member of the European Union, and second, geographically speaking, it is very close to Israel.
ISRAELI DEFENSE GIANTS EYE CYPRUS PRODUCTION HUB
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Israeli defense firms, including Elbit, IAI, and Rafael, are reportedly exploring the possibility of establishing manufacturing plants and management headquarters in Cyprus.
AdvertisementWhy Cyprus? It’s close to Israel, part of the EU, and could give Israeli firms access to… pic.twitter.com/PNTEHy8lu5
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) September 14, 2026
Commenting on the content of the post, Gabriel Charitos, a visiting professor of international relations at Panteion University and an analyst for ALPHA Cyprus on Middle East issues, pointed out that, aside from what is mentioned by the Msoud account on Platform X, there has been no related announcement or statement from either the Israeli or the Cypriot side. However, Mr. Charitos noted that this particular account is considered a reliable source, given that all the information published through it—especially from the start of the war on October 7, 2023, to the present—has proven to be accurate.
Strong Reactions to “NAZA”
Strong reactions against the awarding of the documentary “Naza” at the Venice International Film Festival, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Sor, both Israeli citizens who are being threatened by Israel’s Minister of Culture, Miki Zohar, with the revocation of their citizenship.
The documentary is reportedly based on the accounts of 24 soldiers and officers from the IDF’s elite Unit 8200 of the intelligence services, without revealing their identities, nor are their faces shown on camera. The accounts describe the technical capabilities, preparation, and execution of military operations in Gaza, which allegedly aimed to kill Palestinian civilians, without the knowledge of Israeli commanders—sparking intense reactions in Israel since yesterday, which coincided with the film’s official award ceremony, accompanied by prolonged applause from attendees at the Venice Film Festival. As noted in the film’s synopsis—which has not yet been screened in commercial theaters in any country— the narratives are also based on articles published over the past three years in the British Guardian and two Israeli news websites associated with the local extra-parliamentary Left.
As Gabriel Charitos explained, the title of the documentary is a rendering of the acronym for the phrase “collateral damage” or “collateral losses,” a term derived from military slang in Hebrew. Describing the prevailing climate in Israeli news coverage, Mr. Charitos noted that, with the exception of the newspaper Haaretz, all other local media outlets—both pro-government and non-pro-government—are criticizing the film, strongly questioning the veracity of its content, while its two directors are under fire and are being treated as traitors in public discourse. On the government side, the most notable statement came from Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who said, among other things, that he would immediately initiate proceedings to have the two directors, Yuval Avraham and Rachel Sor, to lose their Israeli citizenship on the grounds of treason. However, addressing this specific issue, Gabriel Charitos pointed out that there is as yet no legal precedent for revoking citizenship on the grounds of the release of a film, and this was apparently the reason why the Minister of Culture, Miki Zohar, as he himself stated yesterday in an interview on Israeli public radio, sent a letter yesterday to the Ministry of the Interior requesting clarification on exactly which procedure should be followed. However, it remains unclear at this time exactly where the two Israeli directors are currently located and whether they will return to Israel after receiving their awards, as they have deleted their social media accounts.
The IDF Press Office also condemned the film in a statement issued yesterday, describing the film’s content as “completely false,” and adding that “if the two directors wished to verify the details in the narratives, they could very well have contacted the army to verify what is true and what is not—but they chose not to do so.” On the other hand, as Mr. Charitos noted, military sources report that investigations have already begun to identify which soldiers and officers from the elite Unit 8200 are allegedly recounting film.
The widespread condemnation of the film “Naza” comes from the government, the right-wing opposition, and all of the country’s television channels without exception, both state-run and private. On the other hand, no statement or comment has yet been made public by the leaders of the center-left and left-wing parties. Specifically, Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Golan have not yet made any statements regarding the film, while, as Gabriel Charitos points out, anti-government and center-left profiles on Israeli social media reveal a trend in which, despite their ideological opposition to local right-wing parties, they too condemn the moral and patriotic motives of the two directors, characterizing them primarily as opportunists. In contrast, Ayman Odeh, leader of the United Arab List, the largest political party representing Israel’s Arab minority, described the film’s award as a historic event and expressed his congratulations to the directors and the rest of the production team.
When asked whether the film would ultimately be screened in Israel in the near future or at a later date, Gabriel Haritos replied that in the past, many Israeli film productions that took a critical stance toward Israel’s handling of the conflict with the Palestinianswere screened in movie theaters and at semi-public/private film archives without any restrictions. However, as for this particular documentary, which has sparked a storm of reactions in recent hours, it cannot be ruled out that its screening may ultimately be banned. In any case, the issue of whether or not to screen “Naza” in Israel does not yet appear to have become a topic of public debate in the country.
Watch Gabriel Haritos’s appearance on today’s episode of “ALPHA ENIMEROSI” with Katia Savva
