US navy destroyer arrives in Cyprus

The United States navy’s destroyer the USS Jason Dunham arrived at Limassol port on Monday, with the US embassy in Nicosia saying it had arrived for the purpose of “crew rest and resupply”. “Named after Medal of Honour recipient Jason L Dunham, this marks her first ever visit to Cyprus,” the US embassy said, before adding that the country is “always grateful for Cyprus’ hospitality and partnership”. Jason Dunham was posthumously awarded the US’ Medal of Honour after using his helmet and body to cover a live grenade and save nearby marines’ lives when his unit was attacked during a patrol in the Iraqi city of Husaybah, near the Syrian border, in 2004. He died eight days after the attack. The arrival of the USS Jason Dunham comes two days after a US air force Boeing C-40 clipper jet using callsign “Spar19” landed at Larnaca airport from Cairo. The jet and callsign in question are typically used for the transportation of high-level members of the US administration – usually members of congress or the cabinet – though no announcement was made by either the Cypriot or US government regarding its arrival. The Cyprus Mail reached out to both the US and Cypriot governments for information regarding who was on the flight. It is believed that the aircraft has since departed. On Sunday evening, Egyptian President Abdell Fattah El-Sisi announced he had met the US’ central intelligence agency (CIA) chief John Ratcliffe, possibly providing some indication as to who was aboard the flight. CIA chief met Egyptian President Sisi in Cairo at weekend After that meeting, Sisi’s spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy said that the meeting had focused on “avenues to bolster the strategic relations” between Egypt and the US. He said that Sisi had stressed Egypt’s “full support for efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement that resolves the Iranian crisis”, which he said “contribute to the restoration of regional security and stability and ensuring the freedom of international navigation”. “Sisi also reaffirmed Egypt’s firm stance in support of the security and sovereignty of Arab countries and its vehement rejection of any aggression against them,” he said. Additionally, he said, Sisi had “reiterated the paramount importance of settling regional crises through political and diplomatic tracks and addressing their root causes in a comprehensive manner”. He went on to say that Ratcliffe had “underscored the US administration’s commitment to continuing close cooperation and coordination with Egypt to bolster security and stability in the Middle East”. In addition, he said, Ratcliffe had “lauded Egypt’s pivotal role in supporting efforts aimed at reaching peaceful, comprehensive settlements to regional crises”. Ratcliffe is currently serving his second stint as CIA director, having initially been appointed by US President Donald Trump in 2020, replacing Dan Coats, with whom Trump had long held disagreements over issues including Russia and North Korea. When Trump left office in 2021, he was replaced by Avril Haines, who was appointed by Joe Biden. He then returned to office when Trump retook office last year. Last month, he held a secret meeting with Russian intelligence officers, including foreign intelligence service (SVR) chief Sergey Naryshkin, in Moscow, with American newspaper the Wall Street Journal at the time reporting that the aim of the visit was to warn Russia against attacking Nato members amid the stalemate in Ukraine.