A pair of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets will replace the Patriot battery that will be withdrawn from the southeastern Aegean Sea island of Karpathos, sources said.
This decision was made in order to fill a possible operational gap.
Two Patriot batteries had been deployed to the island, and Didymoteicho, on the northeastern land border, at the start of this year’s US and Israeli attacks on Iran to provide protection from a possible ballistic threat to the southeastern wing of NATO and cover fellow NATO member Bulgaria.
On Monday, the Government Council on National Security, or KYSEA, chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced it would withdraw both US-made missile systems.
Meanwhile, work is being carried out at the airport of Karpathos so that it can support the long-term parking of Air Force fighters.
