The United States has authorised the departure of non-essential government personnel and their family members from Cyprus, while urging American citizens to reconsider travel to the island, citing heightened security risks linked to the expanding conflict with Iran, APA reports, citing cyprus-mail.com.
In a security alert issued on Wednesday, the US state department said the decision was taken “due to a risk to their safety,” as regional hostilities intensify and military activity increases across neighbouring countries.
The advisory applies to staff at the US Embassy in Cyprus and follows similar elevation of security risk levels for Americans in Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The department said it has raised its travel advisory for Cyprus to Level 3, advising US citizens to reconsider travel “due to the threat of armed conflict and the limited assistance of the US Embassy to Americans in the area administered by the Turkish Cypriot authorities.”
It reiterated that non-essential employees and their families were authorised to depart because of security risks, adding that since the start of hostilities between the United States and Iran on February 28 there have been “significant disruptions to commercial flights.”
The advisory also confirmed that a drone struck a building in the area of the British Bases in Cyprus on March 2.
Regarding the north, the state department said the US Embassy in Nicosia has limited capacity to assist US citizens there, noting that “human rights reports show that central prisons and police detention centres do not meet international standards.”
US citizens were urged to enter and exit Cyprus only through Larnaca and Paphos airports, or via the ports of Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos.
“The Republic of Cyprus does not consider entry or exit through Ercan airport or from a port in the north to be legal,” the statement said, warning that Americans leaving via Tymbou (Ercan) may face difficulties on future returns to the government controlled areas.
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