Turkey sent nine aircraft into the Athens Flight Information Region on Friday, September 11, including armed F-16s, as G...

Turkey sent nine aircraft into the Athens Flight Information Region on Friday, September 11, including armed F-16s, as Greece and its allies were conducting the Medusa 15 multinational military exercise south of Crete. According to Greece's Hellenic National Defence General Staff, the incursion involved three formations: six F-16 fighter jets and three unmanned aerial vehicles operating across the northeastern, central, and southeastern Aegean. Four of the F-16s were carrying weapons. Greek forces recorded ten violations of air traffic rules inside the Athens FIR, three from the F-16s and seven from the UAVs. On top of that, ten separate violations of Greek national airspace were logged, all of them committed by Turkish F-16s. The situation escalated further during identification and interception procedures, with two aerial engagements recorded between Greek and Turkish fighter jets. Greek forces intercepted the Turkish aircraft in line with international rules and standard protocols, according to the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. The timing is notable. Medusa 15 launched the day before, bringing together Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Italy, and France for joint naval operations in the waters south and southwest of Crete. Turkey's surge of Aegean activity came on the exercise's first full day. #Greece #Turkey #Aegean