Israel in Discussions to Stationing Israeli Air Force Jets on Cyprus

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu plans to discuss the prospect of stationing Israeli Air Force jets on Cyprus when he visits the island later this month, according to a report by the Chinese news agency Xinua.

According to the report, an Israeli official told Xinua that the discussion "is at the exploratory stage - it's not clear if it will or won't happen."

Relations between Cyprus and Israel have been intensifying since Israel's fallout with its former regional ally and Cyprus' adversary, Turkey. In January, Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with his Cypriot counterpart to enter into and sign defense agreements.