Intelligence chief calls Bahraini royal guard head to discuss Middle East war

Cyprus intelligence service chief Tasos Tzionis held a telephone conversation with the head of the Bahraini royal guard, Bahraini media reported on Wednesday, with the pair discussing the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Bahraini newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej reported that Tzionis and Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa had discussed “the heinous Iranian attacks on the Kingdom of Bahrain and sisterly and friendly countries”.

It added that the pair had “condemned these hostile attacks and the continued escalation, and what it represents in terms of a violation of the sovereignty of countries and international laws and norms”.

“The call also confirmed the depth of the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the friendly Republic of Cyprus, and the development and growth they are witnessing at various levels,” the paper said, before adding that the pair had “discussed ways to develop partnerships and bilateral cooperation so as to achieve common interests”.

Bahrain was struck multiple times by Iran in the aftermath of the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, with Bahrain the central headquarters of the United States’ Navy’s fifth fleet, and also the location of the US’ Sheikh Isa airbase.

Thus far, two civilians, nationals of Bahrain and of Bangladesh, are confirmed to have died in the strike, while 50 civilians were also injured. Additionally, two American servicepersons were injured, while one American oil tanker was damaged.

Protests also briefly broke out in Bahrain, with tensions having risen among the island nation’s majority Shia Muslim population, which is ruled by a Sunni Muslim royal family. Those protests have since abated following what Agence France-Presse described as a “crackdown”.

Tzionis’ contacts with Al Khalifa come after it had earlier been reported that he had contacted Lebanese insurgent group Hezbollah to ask for reassurances that the British Akrotiri air force base would not be used as a target, after the base was last month hit by an Iranian-made drone which was fired from Lebanon.

Lebanese newspaper the Beirut Time reported that Tzionis “contacted Hezbollah’s leadership and asked them to convey a message of reassurance to Iran that the British base at Akrotiri … would not be used to launch an attack on Tehran”.

“Tzionis requested Hezbollah’s mediation due to the good relations between them and the fact that they have ties with Iran,” the newspaper stated, adding that “the aim of the message is to prevent attacks from spreading to Cyprus”.

It added that this message was sent “given the island’s current paralysis and the fear of losing investments … from Israel, Russia and China”.