The deployment of the Greek military on Cyprus will be continued until further notice, Greek officials have decided. The strategic move involves sustaining the presence of four F-16 fighter jets and naval frigate Nikiforos Fokas in the area.
The Hellenic National Defence General Staff believes the move is a response to growing threats from Iran and ongoing tensions with Türkiye, reports Greek authorities, which are working closely with the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. Four F-16s are now at the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos.
The Nikiforos Fokas has become the new flagship of the Greek naval presence in the region, successor to the frigate Elli. The ship is fitted with the state-of-the-art Kentavros anti-drone system and recently took part in the multinational exercise “Cyprus Arrow” in the south of Limassol.
The decision to deploy indefinitely is a major shift in Greece’s defense stance, according to defense analysts and is strongly influenced by the unrest and posturing in the broader Middle East.
The Greek military expansion is an example of a process of localised build-up which had begun earlier this year. Türkiye also sent six F-16 fighter jets to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as part of its air defense system of HISAR series in March.
At the time, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense stated that phased security plans were being implemented to protect the TRNC from regional missile and drone threats. Ankara emphasized that the security and stability of the Eastern Mediterranean are of strict strategic importance to Türkiye.
Turkish officials have maintained that they were acting in response to military elements that were brought to Cyprus by nations which are not guarantor states under the 1960 Cyprus agreements. This situation is carefully monitored by the regional stakeholders, including the Republic of Cyprus Ministry of Defence.
The war fever first flared up after a drone attack on a British military base in Greek Cyprus. The base at Akrotiri, run by the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, was bombed by a suspected Iranian drone that is a critical regional outpost.
After that particular drone strike, Greece has initially sent two frigates and two F-16s to the island. This then led to the deployment of the Turkish air force, the biggest air force buildup on the divided island since the S-300 missile crisis of 1998.
