Turkey’s defence ministry recently announced the deployment of F-16 fighter jets and air defence systems to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as part of a phased plan to strengthen security in the northern Mediterranean island, amid tensions with Iran and war in the Middle East.
“In light of recent developments in our region, and as part of a phased planning to reinforce the security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, six F-16 fighter jets and air defence systems have been deployed to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as of today. Additional measures will continue to be taken if deemed necessary, after assessing the situation,” the ministry said in a statement echoed by the Anatolia news agency.
The announcement comes amid growing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean over the conflict with Iran. The Greek Cypriot Republic, located in the southern part of the ethnically divided island, has been hit by retaliatory attacks from Tehran following US and Israeli bombing raids on Iran, which led to an Iranian-made drone striking a British base on the island on 2 March. Greek Cypriot authorities later concluded that the drone was probably launched by the Hezbollah group from Lebanon, rather than directly from Iranian territory.
Following the incident, several European countries pledged assistance to the Greek Cypriot government by deploying warships and other military assets. In the midst of these tensions, a missile fired from Iran was intercepted and destroyed only two days later by NATO forces on its way into Turkish airspace. While most analysts concluded that the missile was aimed at the US air base at İncirlik in southern Türkiye, other sources quoted by Turkish media suggest that the missile was initially fired at Cyprus and subsequently diverted from its trajectory.
Despite the war in the Middle East and tensions in the region, and with relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv at their worst in decades and the Turkish president himself considering Israel a threat to Turkey, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler has nevertheless said that for now there is a “very low” chance of a direct confrontation between NATO member Türkiye and Israel, one of Washington’s closest allies. “Although there is a risk of a direct military conflict, we currently see the likelihood of this happening as very low. To prevent undesirable situations, communication channels have been established to reduce misunderstandings,” Güler said.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
