Cyprus calls off alert after suspect object spotted close to Lebanon

NICOSIA, March 4 (Reuters) - ‌Cyprus said ​a suspect ​object had been detected close to Lebanese airspace on Wednesday, and a ‌government source said two Greek F-16 fighter ⁠jets had been scrambled to intercept it.

The alert ‌was called off more ‌than an hour later.

"The incident for which there was relevant information has been investigated ​and is considered closed. The competent authorities are monitoring the situation on an ongoing ⁠basis and all appropriate measures are being taken by the ​available means within the framework of established procedures," government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said ​in a post on ‌X.

No further details were immediately available.

Two aircraft that were preparing to land ⁠at Cyprus' Larnaca airport were diverted while the jets were scrambled, the government source said.

The incident ⁠followed a strike by an Iranian-made drone on a ​British Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri in Cyprus on Monday as the U.S. and Israeli air ‌war against Iran continued. Two other drones were intercepted by Cyprus later ‌that day.

Cypriot officials said they believed the ⁠drones on Monday were ‌fired by ​Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

(Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Alison Williams and Timothy ‌Heritage)

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