Greece Sends Fighter Jets to Karpathos to Signal Patriot Withdrawal Was Not a Concession to Turkey

Greece is deploying two Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to the Aegean island of Karpathos in a deliberate show of force following the repositioning of Patriot missile batteries from the island — a move Athens is at pains to frame as an operational decision taken without NATO or U.S. prompting, not a retreat under Turkish pressure. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias ordered the deployment after directing the Air Force chief to develop a comprehensive fleet availability plan. The Patriot systems, previ...

By ANTHEE CARASSAVA