US ships arrive in Cyprus EEZ

The increased US naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean until the end of the month is seen as an indication of the concern triggered by Turkey's recent hostility in the region, which last month led to the suspension of Italian energy company Eni's drilling operations in Block 3 of Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The incident with the Italian drillship was condemned by the governments of Cyprus, Italy and the US and the European Commission.

Even though the bolstered American presence is mainly due to a planned exercise by the US and Israel, it almost coincides with scheduled hydrocarbon drilling in Block 10 of Cyprus's EEZ by American energy giant ExxonMobil.

According to sources, the US will begin strengthening its naval presence as of Wednesday in the region between southern Cyprus and Israel, but this is reportedly not directly linked to...

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