File photo of two F-16 fighter jets. [AMNA]
Armed Turkish fighter jets resumed violations of Greek national airspace, and one incident led to a mock dogfight between two Greek F-16s and two Turkish F-16s in the area between the islands of Lemnos and Lesvos, according to Greek officials.
The encounter marked the third such engagement since the start of 2026. Previous incidents were recorded on March 26 and May 12, following an earlier confrontation in December 2025. Before the recent series of encounters, the last mock dogfights had occurred in February 2023, before the earthquakes in southeastern Turkey and the start of a calmer period in the Aegean Sea.
Greek authorities said 10 airspace violations were recorded on Monday. No military exercise was underway in the broader northeastern Aegean region at the time, as the EFES 2026 exercise had ended on May 22.
Officials in Athens were monitoring whether the latest incident signaled a return to earlier Turkish tactics or an isolated show of tension.
