Greece Wants to Strengthen Crete's Air Defense with Patriot Systems
Greece is considering relocating a Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery from the island of Karpathos to Crete. The move is intended to strengthen the defenses of the Souda naval base in light of the threat posed by Iran.
“The Ministry of Defense is considering relocating the anti-aircraft missile battery deployed on the southeastern island of Karpathos following this year’s U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran,” the statement said.
The proposal regarding the Patriot missiles came after reports that Iran might consider striking U.S.-linked targets in Europe if American operations in the Persian Gulf intensify. A large Greek and NATO base is located in Souda Bay.
“If it is determined that Souda faces a significant threat, the Patriot battery could be redeployed there from Karpathos to provide more comprehensive protection for the military base,” the statement said.
It is noted that Turkey has criticized the deployment of Patriot missiles on Karpathos.
As reported by Ukrinform, CDU member of the Bundestag and and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Roderich Kiesewetter, believes that Germany and other European partners should increase diplomatic pressure on countries that still have significant stockpiles of Patriot missiles—in particular Spain and Greece—to have them transfer some of these systems to Ukraine.
This was reported by the Greek publication Kathimerini.
Greece plans to purchase a multi-layered air defense system from Israel for €3.5 billion, according to Reuters.
As a reminder, NATO and the EU are pressuring Greece to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
