From the start of his presidency in early 2023, Nikos Christodoulides has focused on militarizing Cyprus. Forbes concluded at the time that “Cyprus Is Planning a New Military Buildup.” Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel and the resulting conflict have increased Cyprus’s military urgency and made the island an attractive partner for foreign entities.

“The strengthening of the Cyprus Republic’s deterrent capabilities is of the utmost importance, and we take advantage of every opportunity, both in the direction of the United States and nato, but also the European Union,” Christodoulides told the Associated Press in November.

Cyprus sits at the doorstep of one of the most explosive conflicts in the world and has even been threatened by Hezbollah. It also fears a belligerent neighbor that claims parts of the island and disputes some of its maritime territory—Turkey.

In early December, Cypriot Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas told AP: “The situation in the eastern Mediterranean, with its continuous shifting geostrategic balances and competing interests, makes it even more pressing for the island to bolster its defensive capabilities.”

After Cyprus reportedly bought two Barak MX air defense missile batteries and dozens of interceptor missiles from Israel, Christodoulides told reporters on December 5:

The only thing I can say is we will [do], and are doing, everything necessary to bolster the deterrence force of Cyprus, not only because we are a country under occupation but an EU member state in a region of particular geostrategic importance.

Cyprus’s location, military bases and surveillance capabilities are indeed of geostrategic importance for the German-led EU, as explained in Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s article “Why Germany Conquered Cyprus.”

Bible prophecy reveals Cyprus will be a staging ground for offensive military operations. Its current military preparations must be examined in that light.

Fortifying the Island

Christodoulides said on December 30:

Foreigners see our geographical position as our key advantage. We’ve decided to proceed with upgrading the base at Mari and the base in Paphos. I have a memo before me indicating a cost of €14.7 million and an implementation period of 18 months. We’ve had discussions with the Americans who are interested and who have used the Andreas Papandreou base for humanitarian purposes. …

Regarding the naval base, I’m speaking with the president of the European Commission. I spoke again recently about EU financial contribution through a specific Union program so that the base can host any vessel from an EU member state.

While Cyprus is not a nato member, it is an EU member subject to its rules and regulations. In 2019, Mr. Flurry warned that Germany would gain control of Cyprus’s military bases through the EU. He wrote:

Germany is not the only nation with its eye on Cyprus. Russia has an acute interest in Syria, which would make Cyprus a useful base. Britain’s bases in Cyprus have been invaluable to America as it has waged wars in the Middle East. Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974; more recently, it has tried to leverage that presence to gain control of the oil and gas in sea surrounding the island.

But Germany has worked through the EU to ensure it dominates Cyprus. …

Justified as it might be, Brexit puts the future of those bases on Cyprus in doubt. I forecast that Britain is going to lose control of those bases.

Now Cyprus’s naval base in Mari can “host any vessel from an EU member state.” One by one, its other bases will also fall into European hands. Any fortification of this island is ultimately for Germany’s advantage.

Some are waking up to this reality. “Now that Britain has left the EU, its vital military bases in Cyprus are at the mercy of a Greek Cypriot regime drunk on the political leverage handed to it by Brussels,” Politics Today noted in 2023.

Remember: These war preparations are occurring because Cyprus is an “EU member state in a region of particular geostrategic importance.”

‘Geostrategic Importance’

Mr. Flurry wrote in his 2019 article:

Set in the midst of the Mediterranean Sea, near the heart of the world, is strategic Cyprus. Look at a map, and you can see it is a stepping-stone between Europe and the Middle East. It is near Jerusalem, it is near Rome, and it is near Berlin. Understand its proximity to these important cities and to strategic areas, and you begin to understand why Cyprus has played such a crucial role in history. …

Cyprus has played a critical role in this region for centuries. During the Crusades, when European warriors descended on the coasts of Israel and Lebanon, at times they relied on Cyprus for a base. In the 19th century, when Britain wanted a naval base to guard its vital trade with India, it used Cyprus as a base. Even in modern times, in 2006 when Germany joined a United Nations naval mission off the coast of Lebanon, it used Cyprus as a base.

Since then, various EU countries have joined Cyprus in military exercises:

• Since 2020, Cyprus, France, Greece and Italy have joined the multinational exercise “Eunomia” conducted in the eastern Mediterranean.
• For “Eunomia 4-2023,” Cyprus hosted a five-day drill involving naval and air forces from the respective countries, and Christodoulides emphasized Cyprus’s “particular geostrategic significance” to the EU.
• “Eunomia 5-2024” covered naval-air operations, maritime interdiction operations, anti-air/surface/subsurface, search-and-rescue training, noncombatant evacuation operations and cyberwarfare exercises, according to Cyprus’s Ministry of Defense.
• In 2024, “Argonaut,” another Cyprus-led joint exercise, tested the ability to evacuate civilians from Sudan and Israel via Cyprus. Defense Minister Palmas noted that Cyprus is “committed to contributing to the effort to ensure stability and peace in the region.”
• “Siege Engine 2024,” sponsored by the European Defense Agency and hosted by Cyprus, involved around 150 troops from four EU member states: Belgium, Cyprus, Ireland and Sweden.

The Daily Sabah, a Turkish pro-government propaganda outlet, warned: “The current militarization of this small Mediterranean island is not merely another move in the chess game of regional power; it’s a shift with serious implications for Mediterranean stability—or, potentially, its opposite.”

Cyprus’s militarization should concern us all.

Watch Germany

Since 2006, German troops have been stationed in Cyprus as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (unifil). Shortly after the Hamas massacre in 2023, the German government moved members of the Army, Special Forces Command, Naval Special Forces and German Federal Police (which specializes in hostage rescues) in and around Cyprus. Germany also has military transport aircraft on standby in the region.

Security politicians from the Bundestag noted that all available forces for such missions are nearby: “We are cold-start capable and prepared for all options,” meaning troops are ready to be deployed on short notice.

The next month, German and Cypriot defense ministers signed an agreement to intensify military cooperation.

Germany also participates in various military missions in surrounding waters: eunavfor Aspides, the eunavfor Mediterranean Irini mission, the nato-led maritime security operation Sea Guardian, unifil’s Maritime Task Force and nato’s mission in the Aegean Sea. It also controls the Balkans and Malta through the EU.

Concerning the Red Sea mission, France’s defense minister said, “An extraordinary European military mission is taking place, safeguarding our common commercial interests by using our frigates to protect maritime traffic. In some respects, more is being done today than a European army could ever achieve by establishing tailor-made missions.”

Germany also has soldiers on the ground in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon—surrounding Israel.

nato’s annual “Steadfast Noon Exercises” in 2023 were held over Italy, Croatia and the Mediterranean Sea, close to the Middle East. Thirteen nato members participated, including Germany.

Germany and its EU partners are well positioned for the logistical aspects and the deadly nature of modern warfare.

The Real Power in Cyprus

Germany has ensured Cyprus’s EU membership and its dependence on Germany’s economy.

When Cyprus faced serious economic trouble in 2013, “Germany blocked Russia from getting involved and stepped in to offer a bailout package—with tough conditions,” Mr. Flurry wrote. “Cyprus accepted. Thus, the EU became the de facto ruler of Cyprus. … And since Germany is Europe’s largest economy and put up the largest share of the money, Germany became the real power in Cyprus.”

There are also historic parallels to Germany’s control over Cyprus. “During the Crusades, when European warriors descended on the coasts of Israel and Lebanon, at times they relied on Cyprus for a base,” Mr. Flurry wrote.

The Bible reveals history will repeat itself unless we wake up to this dangerous trend.

Daniel 11:41 warns that foreign troops will “enter also into the glorious land”—speaking of Jerusalem. “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain …” (verse 45). Mr. Flurry explained, “Europe will gain so much power in the Middle East, and religion will be such an important part of its empire, that it will actually move its headquarters to Jerusalem!”

Cyprus is a stepping-stone to that end. Read Mr. Flurry’s article “Why Germany Conquered Cyprus” to learn how Bible prophecy is ahead of its time.