Athens is positioning a Patriot missile battery along with two F-16 fighter jets in northern Greece to bolster the defence of neighbouring Bulgaria as tensions escalate across the Middle East. Defence Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed the move on Friday, stating that Greece stood ready "to help, if necessary, to preserve the sense of security in the wider region."
The deployment follows Greece's decision on Thursday to station Patriot missiles on the island of Karpathos in the Dodecanese archipelago, close to Turkey's western coastline, in a bid to strengthen anti-ballistic protection over Greek territory. Since the outbreak of hostilities, Athens has also dispatched two frigates and four F-16 jets to Cyprus after the island was struck by an Iranian-made drone.
"A Patriot missile battery will be transferred in the coming hours... to the north of Greece to ensure anti-ballistic coverage for a large part of Bulgarian territory," Dendias said on ERT public television. He added that a pair of F-16 fighter aircraft would be relocated to a northern Greek airfield specifically tasked with providing additional aerial protection for Bulgaria.
Two senior Greek military officers will also be deployed to Bulgaria's military operations centre as part of the cooperation effort. Dendias pledged "all possible assistance for Bulgaria's ballistic missile defence against Iran" but did not elaborate further on the scope of the support.
The Greek defence minister said he had consulted with his Bulgarian counterpart, Atanas Zapryanov, after Sofia formally requested military assistance. Bulgaria's defence ministry confirmed the discussions had also covered NATO's directive to enhance "the preparation level of air-defence systems along the southeast flank" of the alliance. A visit by Dendias to Sofia is expected in the near future.
