Lebanese Armed Forces chief officially visits Cyprus

The commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Rodolph Haykal, made an official visit to Cyprus from Tuesday, October 6, to Thursday, October 8, accompanied by a military delegation. The visit took place at the invitation of the chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Emmanouil Theodorou, as the National Guard General Staff (GEEF) announced on October 9.

Reception at the General Staff and meeting with Vasilis Palmas

The official reception ceremony was held on Wednesday, October 7, at the GEEF headquarters. It was followed by a one-on-one meeting between the two chiefs, in which matters of mutual interest were discussed, and by a meeting with Cyprus’s Defence Minister, Vasilis Palmas. GEEF gave no details of the content of the talks.

From the air base to the search and rescue centre

During the visit General Haykal was briefed on the work and activities of the National Guard. Among other places, he visited the “Andreas Papandreou” Air Base in Paphos, the CYCLOPS training centre (Cyprus Center for Land, Open-seas and Port Security) and the “ZINON” Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. At the Tomb of Makedonitissa he laid a wreath in memory of those who fell in the struggles for the freedom of the Republic of Cyprus.

The stops on the programme are not random for two neighbouring countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. CYCLOPS trains personnel in border, maritime and port security, while “ZINON” coordinates search and rescue operations in Cyprus’s area of responsibility in the Eastern Mediterranean. Cyprus has also served in the past as a safe haven for evacuating civilians from Lebanon in times of crisis.

The Lebanese army at the centre of allied support

The visit comes at a time when the Lebanese army is the focus of international support. The European Union is preparing a training mission for the Lebanese army as UNIFIL completes its mission. Greece has also developed a close relationship with Beirut: after the delivery of M113 armoured vehicles, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visited Athens in August.

General Haykal took command of the Lebanese army in March 2025, after the election of his predecessor, Joseph Aoun, as the country’s president. The Lebanese army is now called on to extend its presence in the south of the country and take on a larger share of responsibility for security, which makes the support of its neighbours and partners particularly important.

For Cyprus, military cooperation with Lebanon fits into its policy of close relations with the states of the region, alongside its cooperation with Greece, Israel and Egypt.