(AFP) Cyprus has received an influx of 458 Syrian migrants from Lebanon in one week and is bracing for more as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread, officials said on Sunday.
Authorities said 194 Syrians arrived late on Saturday aboard four boats from Lebanon and were taken to the Pournara reception centre outside Nicosia.
Interior minister Constantinos Ioannou warned that the east Mediterranean island’s ability to handle large numbers of migrants was limited.
He said the possible involvement of Lebanon in Israel’s war and the generally worsening situation had weakened Beirut’s efforts to monitor its territorial waters and prevent illegal departures.
