An official says the Cyprus government has approved a U.S. request to temporarily deploy a "rapid reaction" team to help evacuate personnel from U.S. diplomatic missions in nearby countries if needed.
Cyprus government spokesman Kyriakos Koushios said Wednesday the team also will be tasked with evacuating U.S. civilians from the region in the event of an emergency. The development comes after Iran fired more than 20 missiles overnight at bases in Iraq used by U.S. troops in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iran's top military commander.
Koushios said the east Mediterranean island nation granted permission as part of its long-standing policy to offer assistance to missions of a humanitarian nature following requests from non-European Union member countries.
He said Cyprus has excellent relations with eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern nations.