Great anxiety has prevailed in Cyprus since yesterday, following the attack by an unmanned aircraft coming from Iran or Lebanon that fell in Akrotiri, at the facilities of one of the two military bases that the United Kingdom maintains on the island. The attack, as retaliation for the American bombings in Iran, occurred shortly after the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, announced that his country was granting permission to the United States of America to use its military bases. On Saturday, two missiles had previously been launched in the direction of Cyprus, about which London and Nicosia commented that it was not certain whether they were targeting Cyprus.
Following the statements of the British Prime Minister, the new general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Sardar Jabari, declared: "The Americans have transferred the majority of their aircraft to Cyprus. We will launch so many missiles towards Cyprus that the Americans will be forced to leave there as well!" He also stated that "so far we have launched approximately 3.000 first- and second-generation missiles (...) In the coming days, we will certainly use third- and fourth-generation missiles."
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Yesterday at noon, reports said that instructions had been given for the mandatory evacuation of areas in the communities of Paphos, Timi, Acheleia, and Mandria. Eventually, following instructions from Civil Defence, residents of these areas were called to remain under stay-at-home restrictions. Paphos airport, after a temporary evacuation, has returned to its normal flight schedule, while the authorities do not confirm citizens' reports on social media about explosions on Monday night, after midnight, in the area of Larnaca, near the British base of Dhekelia.
In any case, the agricultural facilities in the area surrounding the military base of Akrotiri remain unharmed, and the trade of fruits and vegetables continues as normal. Mr. Costas Potamitis, Marketing Manager of The Cyprus Phassouri Plantations Co Ltd – Red Seal, whose farm and packing house are located two kilometres from the military base, states: "We are all well. Of course, there is concern due to the general situation, but there is also composure. We have no indication that we are in danger. Police officers are stationed on the road that passes outside our packing house."
© Fotis Karabetsos | FreshPlaza.com
Costas Potamitis (right) and Nikolas Zenonos (left) from The Cyprus Phassouri Plantations Co. Ltd. – Red Seal at Fruit Logistica 2026.
"The shipping routes of vessels carrying exported products are departing as scheduled. Only one Ro-Ro vessel changed its departure day from Limassol to Lavrio, but this is due to the fact that it will ultimately not pass through the port of Haifa. It is not related to the developments in Cyprus. On the other hand, there are business delegations that have cancelled their visits to Cyprus. There is no increase in food prices. Nor will we increase the prices of our fruits. There is no reason for that. For this to happen, container transport prices would first have to increase," Mr. Potamitis clarifies.
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Daily life in the orchards has not been affected either: "The harvesting operations of Mandora mandarins are progressing normally, the fruit sizes are larger than the small-to-medium ones at the beginning of the harvest, and our market has been keeping us satisfied since the beginning of 2026. Our programs are running normally, and we will not change prices because of what happened. The Mandora harvest will be completed at the end of March and the beginning of April, while in April, we will start with the Valencia oranges, which are coming with a good crop. On our farm, we cultivate the full range of citrus fruits, with our Star Ruby grapefruits being among the products that stand out."
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For more information:
Costas Potamitis
The Cyprus Phassouri Plantations Co Ltd – Red Seal
Tel: +357 258 760 00
Email: [email protected]
https://redseal-quality.com/
