Greece has moved the Patriot air defense system to the island of Crete again, following fresh threats from Iran to attack US military targets in South-Eastern Europe.
The decision follows the previous move to Karpathos, which had irritated Turkey due to maritime disputes.
The Greek Foreign Minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis, stated that the move was made for “operational reasons” and to protect the country’s islands.
Crete hosts the strategic US base in the Gulf of Souda, which is of great importance to the West’s military presence.
According to the former head of the Greek army, Georgios Kampas, the positioning of the missiles in Crete increases the range of surveillance and coverage towards Iran and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Greece’s Patriot systems have been requested by Ukraine for air defense against Russian attacks, but Athens has refused to send them, citing national security and tensions with Turkey.
Analyst Giorgos Tzogopoulos emphasized that Greece’s priority remains prevention against Turkey, while Greece-Ukraine relations have become tense after a drone incident that forced Kiev to apologize.
