Nicosia, Cyprus. Six Turkish F-16 fighter jets are set to arrive in Cyprus early Monday, according to acting Turkish Cypriot civil aviation authority director Askin Meseli. The deployment comes amid an ongoing conflict in the Middle East and after Cyprus was hit by an Iranian-made drone last Monday.
Revised arrival plan for Turkish jets
Meseli told Kibris Postasi that an initial plan for four Turkish F-16s to deploy to the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport was revised. The number of jets was increased to six, with arrival now expected in the early hours of Monday morning.
Military assets deployed after drone strike
Following last Monday’s drone strike, multiple countries have deployed military assets to Cyprus. Greece was the first, deploying four F-16s to Paphos last Monday evening.
Greek naval deployments and planned visit
Greece also deployed two frigates, including the Kimon, which Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described on Wednesday as the “pride of the Greek fleet.” Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to visit Paphos on Monday.
French, Italian and Spanish deployments
France deployed the Languedoc frigate, which arrived in Cypriot waters on Wednesday, while the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is en route. Italy announced its intention to send the Federico Martinego frigate to Cyprus, and Spain is to send the Cristobal Colon frigate.
UK deployments to Cyprus
The United Kingdom, which operates the air force base in Cyprus that was hit by last Monday’s drone, has sent two AW159 Wildcat helicopters armed with anti-drone missiles to the island. The HMS Dragon Type 45 destroyer warship is expected to depart from Portsmouth next week.
How do you expect the recent military deployments to affect security around Cyprus?