Cyprus will be ready to deal with an influx of migrants should the situation in the Middle East worsen, deputy minister of migration Nicholas Ioannides said on Wednesday, as the threat of an all-out war in the region continues to loom.

In statements after a visit in Kofinou reception centre for asylum seekers, Ioannides told reporters that Cyprus “has taken advantage of the experience that it has unfortunately gained due to the crises in our region”.

He specified there are national schemes in place including ‘Nafkratis’ which deals with the management of mass arrivals to Cyprus.

“The planning is there, our staff is experienced, they know the practices they should follow.”

Ioannides expressed hope that the situation does not escalate but if it does and there is an increase in migration flows “then we will activate the national plan and deal with the situation”.

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos also had a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart Dr Abdullah Bou Habib.

The call was centred on the “worrying situation in the Middle East”, according to a post on X.

They “underlined the need to avoid further regional escalation, as well as the urgency for a ceasefire in Gaza”.

Tensions in the region which have already been fraught amid the war in Gaza escalated after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran last week.

The attack prompted a scathing response from Iran which said it will punish Israel as a result.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that “blood vengeance” for the killing is “certain”.

Both Tehran and Hamas blame Israel for the killing but Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement, amid fears the war will spillover to the broader region.

Last week, Lebanon’s Hezbollah confirmed that senior commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital, making him the most senior figure from the group to be killed in nearly 10 months of conflict with Israel.