Behind Closed Doors: Cyprus Intelligence Held Talks with Hezbollah

The head of Cypriot intelligence, Tassos Zionis, made an urgent visit to Beirut, where he held closed-door talks with Hezbollah's leadership, the commander of the Lebanese army, and the head of military intelligence. The goal was to secure guarantees for compliance with the maritime border agreement of November 26, 2025, amid escalating tensions between Cyprus and Turkey. Zionis stressed that the conflict concerns only Ankara and Nicosia, and that revising the agreements is unacceptable. The visit precedes a trip by Lebanon's president to Turkey.

The head of Cypriot intelligence, Tassos Zionis, made an urgent visit to Beirut, where he held closed-door talks with Hezbollah's leadership, as well as with the commander of the Lebanese army, General Rudolf Heikal, and the head of military intelligence, General Tony Kahwaji. This was reported by the Israeli publication Maariv, citing the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar. The main goal of the visit was to maintain stability in the sphere of maritime borders and the exclusive economic zone. Zionis demanded guarantees from the Lebanese side that Beirut would not back away from the maritime border agreement signed on November 26, 2025. The talks took place against the backdrop of sharply escalating tensions between Nicosia and Ankara. Turkey opposes Cyprus's actions in defining maritime borders and gas routes, claiming these steps infringe on the rights of the Turkish part of the island. Zionis emphasized that the conflict concerns exclusively the relations between Ankara and Nicosia, and Lebanon has nothing to do with it, so revising the agreements is unacceptable. The issue becomes acute ahead of a visit by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to Turkey. Ankara takes a hard line, opposing Lebanon's involvement in regional energy projects that ignore partnership with Syria. Civil cooperation in electricity, communications, and internet was also discussed.