Cyprus Crisis Update: Turkey threatens Oil Companies and Israel to deploy 20,000 Commandos

by John Galt
May 20, 2012 10:00 ET

The world is focused so intently on the coming collapse of Greece and their withdrawal from the European Monetary Union that one of the byproducts of the regional instability in the Balkans continues to operate much like the Israeli Air Force has been in the same region. This week saw the first direct interaction between Israeli Air Force and Turkish fighter planes near Cyprus that I can recall in modern times (From Hurriyet Daily News see: Turkey asks Israel to explain airspace ‘violation’).

This interaction was not by accident nor unintentional by Israeli military officials. It is standard operating procedure to probe the defensive perimeter and air space by sending planes towards another nation’s defensive sphere. Turkey responded of course with their American made fighters and escorted the Israeli forces from the area near norther Cyprus. Why the sudden provocation by Israel? I refer everyone back to a story I produced on February 28th: