A pair of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from the Hellenic Air Force are set to be redeployed to Karpathos, while F-16s in Cyprus will be replaced by other F-16s as part of the renewal of Greek military aircraft presence on Cypriot territory to strengthen Cyprus’ air defense. According to sources from the Ministry of National Defense, this is a recommendation from the general staff and has no relation to appeasement. The decision was made for purely operational reasons.
At the same time, it has been decided that the 4 F-16s stationed in Paphos at the beginning of the Persian Gulf military crisis will withdraw from Cyprus. These will also be replaced by pairs from the Air Force (AF) to cover the relevant gap.
It should be noted that government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis spoke of an “operational decision” referring to the withdrawal of the Patriots.
“I’m tired of reading reports about retreating,” he characteristically stated, noting that the relevant decision was made after “operational assessment and the passage of a considerable period of time,” based on a recommendation from the Ministry of National Defense.
