On August 2, 2026, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler announced that Ankara was updating the state of military readiness of its forces in Cyprus. He cited the growing military cooperation between the United States, Israel, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean as the reason.

The statement was made in a written response to a parliamentary inquiry. It was submitted by Hassan Ozturkmen, a deputy from the opposition Republican People’s Party, who was elected from Gaziantep: he asked how Ankara intends to act in the context of the new NATO security architecture and against the background of the rapprochement of Washington, Tel Aviv, Athens and Nicosia. Guler replied that Turkey is analyzing what is happening on the island and in the region, including Israel’s activities in the Republic of Cyprus, and continues to take military and political measures against any possible threat.

Ankara, according to the minister, is “carefully updating” the state of military readiness in an effort to maintain a delicate balance on the island. Separately, Guler said that Turkey is following Israel’s actions in southern Syria and considers them contrary to the 1974 agreement.

Guler did not mention either the dates or the number of military personnel.

The minister did not specify what exactly is changing in the Turkish military presence: there is no time frame or data on the transfer of additional units or equipment in the response. According to the Cyprus Mail, there are currently about 35,000 Turkish military personnel in the north of the island. Open estimates differ — some sources cite figures of up to 40,000; officially, Ankara does not disclose the composition of the group.

What is the Turkish group in northern Cyprus?

Turkish troops on the island have been consolidated into the Command of the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces (KTBK), a unit of the Turkish ground forces with headquarters in Kyrenia. According to Turkish open sources, it consists of two mechanized infantry divisions and an armored brigade. Since 2019, Turkish drones have been based at Gecitkale airfield (Lefkoniko), and at Timbu airfield. (Ercan) F-16 fighters are on duty.

On August 5, 2025, by the decision of the Supreme Military Council of Turkey, the KTBK command level was raised from Major General to Lieutenant General, and Sebahattin Kilınç became the first commander of this group with the rank of lieutenant general. In the Turkish press, the reshuffle was presented as a sign of the transition from a tactical scale to a regional one.

Nicosia has expanded military ties with the West over the past year.

In December 2025, the Republic of Cyprus signed a trilateral military cooperation plan for 2026 with Israel and Greece: the document was signed in Nicosia, the Israel Defense Forces announced it on December 28. It was preceded by a meeting of the leaders of the three countries in Jerusalem on December 22, 2025. Greek frigates are on shift duty off the coast of Cyprus, and the Cyprus National Guard, according to open data, has about 12,000 troops.

How will this turn out for the inhabitants of the island?

So far, we are talking about a statement, not about recorded troop movements. The residents of the island have already felt the practical consequences of military activity: the Turkish F-16 on duty at Ercan airport led to delays and cancellations of civilian flights, and in a July 2026 report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the advance of Turkish forces at Pila in the buffer zone. Guler’s words came a week after Guterres’ visit to Cyprus on July 27-29, during which he tried to restart settlement negotiations. At the time of publication, the Ministry of Defense of Cyprus had not publicly responded to the Turkish minister’s statement.

https://lenta.cy/turcija-povyshaet-voennuju-gotovnost-na-kipre-iz-za-izrailja/