By Charlie Charalambous
ARMED Mossad agents have landed in Cyprus, but this time the government has allowed them in to protect thousands of Israeli supporters and their team for Sunday’s key football match against Cyprus.
The unprecedented number of Israeli supporters travelling the short distance over to Cyprus has raised concerns about their vulnerability to terrorist attack.
Up to 12,000 Israeli fans are expected for the crucial Euro 2000 qualifier in Limassol, the largest number of travelling away fans ever to support Israel on foreign soil.
The Israeli government deemed the Cypriot authorities unable to guarantee the safety of the Israeli national team and accompanying fans, so they drafted in elite Mossad agents, press reports claimed yesterday.
Although Cyprus last month unceremoniously expelled two Mossad agents jailed in February for encroaching a military area, ties with Israel now seem back on a high.
In the light of improving relations, the Foreign Ministry gave its consent for Israel’s overseas intelligence arm to protect the football team and its supporters from a possible terrorist hit, local reports claim.
Government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou yesterday avoided mentioning Mossad at his daily briefing, but he did confirm that Israeli security plans had been approved.
“Regarding the presence of Israeli police, the government, as in the past, has granted temporary permission to a limited number of Israeli officers for the purpose of guarding the team.”
He added: “in taking this decision Israel’s sensitivity to its athletes was taken into account, especially after the assassination of its athletes at the Munich Olympics.”
Coincidentally, the match in Limassol falls on the 27th anniversary of the Munich massacre in which 11 Israelis were killed by Palestinian terrorists.
Seven armed agents are already on the island and more are to follow, according to yesterday’s Phileleftheros.
They reportedly arrived on Wednesday’s Cyprus Airways flight from Tel Aviv and created a “security scare” on board after failing to inform the captain they were packing loaded pistols on board, breaching safety regulations in the process.
Two other papers, Haravghiand Apogevmatini, named the head of the Mossad mission as Ariel Yehouta and even printed his passport number.
Cypriot police did not want to comment on the security measures for the match, but sources told Phileleftherosthey welcomed the co-operation and that Mossad would operate under the police security umbrella.
Sunday’s Group 6 Euro 2000 match is a crunch game for both sides, with the victor having a realistic chance of qualifying through the play-offs or even ousting table-topping Spain.
Cyprus team coach Stavros Papadopoulos has said the game with Israel is the “most important” in the island’s soccer history.
