Cyprus has anti-missile protection systems but their readiness is being determined by the potential threats and the current circumstances, a well-informed source has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), following the explosion in the air of a projectile, believed to be a missile, whose debris crashed, early Monday, in the Turkish area of the Republic of Cyprus.
It seems that this is an isolated incident that does not justify readiness as if war is going on or may erupt. One has to act by evaluating all the information at his disposal, based on the military protocols, the same source added.
Moreover, it said that that systems which Cyprus has could have detected and shot down this object since the circumstances justified readiness to do such a thing. Under the current circumstances it is not justified to maintain such a level of readiness, the same source noted, adding that it seems that this was an isolated incident and that the missile was not targeting Cyprus.
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The source went on to say that “we are evaluating information related to our defense every day, and there was no reason to activate these systems.”
We are evaluating all the details concerning this incident. We are activating the mechanisms of contact with countries from which we believe that we may take information to evaluate the incident with a view to draw reliable conclusions, it added. Among these countries is the UK which maintains two military bases on the island.
Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Flight Safety Foundation Executive Director, Christos Petrou, said, replying to questions by CNA, that “a missile which enters the FIR constitutes a danger for the flights’ safety and this is something that concerns us”.
“Such incidences pose a threat to flights of civil aircraft, particularly those which are landing or taking off, or have to fly at a lower altitude for any reason,” he concluded.
Editors Note: South Cyprus has no anti-missile protection system, they rely on the British bases since they would have systems in place, so the statement from the so-called well-informed source in this article is misleading.
