The UK military has flown 50 spy missions over Gaza since the start of December in support of Israel, an investigation revealed.
Publish dateSunday 21 January 2024 - 14:46
Story Code : 284610
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: Investigative journalism and media organization Declassified UK said the intelligence gathering flights are conducted using Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft taking off from Britain’s controversial Akrotiri air base in Cyprus, Al-Jazeera reported.
Akrotiri, near Limassol in Southern Cyprus, is one of two military sites retained by the British military under the 1960 treaty that saw the island gain independence from colonial rule.
It said the government refused to confirm the number of spy flights or what kind of information was passed to the Israeli army when asked.
The UK military had claimed in early December, when it confirmed the flights that they will only attempt to gather information on captives held in Gaza.
“But the extraordinary number of flights, and the fact that they started nearly two months after the hostages were taken, raises suspicions that the UK is not collecting intelligence solely for this purpose,” Declassified UK said.
Since the latest escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict began on October 7, locals have seen a “daily” increase in the number of flights from Akrotiri, said Charis Pashias, head of the Cyprus Peace Council.
People have also “become aware of the illegal presence of thousands of American soldiers now stationed in Akrotiri”, he added.
The revelation is likely to prove controversial as the UK has been rocked by demonstrations protesting Israel’s deadly military operation in Gaza, which has killed nearly 25,000 people in the territory.
According to the Campaign against Arms Trade, Israel uses F-35 jets to bomb Gaza. The aircraft is jointly produced by US, UK and other partners. Other weaponry being used in the densely populated strip involving US and UK production are M270 rocket launchers and Pave way II guided missiles.
Israel started its military aggression against Gaza on October 7, 2023 following an operation by the territory's resistance groups, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed./Fars News
Akrotiri, near Limassol in Southern Cyprus, is one of two military sites retained by the British military under the 1960 treaty that saw the island gain independence from colonial rule.
It said the government refused to confirm the number of spy flights or what kind of information was passed to the Israeli army when asked.
The UK military had claimed in early December, when it confirmed the flights that they will only attempt to gather information on captives held in Gaza.
“But the extraordinary number of flights, and the fact that they started nearly two months after the hostages were taken, raises suspicions that the UK is not collecting intelligence solely for this purpose,” Declassified UK said.
Since the latest escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict began on October 7, locals have seen a “daily” increase in the number of flights from Akrotiri, said Charis Pashias, head of the Cyprus Peace Council.
People have also “become aware of the illegal presence of thousands of American soldiers now stationed in Akrotiri”, he added.
The revelation is likely to prove controversial as the UK has been rocked by demonstrations protesting Israel’s deadly military operation in Gaza, which has killed nearly 25,000 people in the territory.
According to the Campaign against Arms Trade, Israel uses F-35 jets to bomb Gaza. The aircraft is jointly produced by US, UK and other partners. Other weaponry being used in the densely populated strip involving US and UK production are M270 rocket launchers and Pave way II guided missiles.
Israel started its military aggression against Gaza on October 7, 2023 following an operation by the territory's resistance groups, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed./Fars News
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