Turkish television is amplifying claims that Greece is turning its Aegean islands into fortified military strongholds us...

Turkish television is amplifying claims that Greece is turning its Aegean islands into fortified military strongholds using Israeli weapon systems, with one academic warning Turkey has the firepower to destroy whatever is buried underground. Journalist Büşra Arslan raised the "island-fortresses" framing during a recent broadcast, claiming Greece is installing underground defensive systems and questioning whether Athens is preparing specifically against Turkey. Professor Fatma Yeşilkuş of Osmaniye Korkut Ata University backed the claim, asserting that the real target of Greek defensive buildup is "undoubtedly Turkey," and invoking the Treaty of Lausanne and the Treaty of Paris as legal barriers to any Greek military presence on certain islands. Yeşilkuş cited Article 14 of the Treaty of Paris as explicitly prohibiting the transfer of military materiel to those islands, though she acknowledged uncertainty about which specific islands the reports concern. She also claimed Greece is modeling its strategy on Israel, despite what she described as Israel's deteriorating regional position. The sharpest comments came from Ali Fuat Gökçe, a professor at Gaziantep University, who said Turkey's drones and short-range weapons are more than enough to hit Greek island installations given their proximity to the Turkish coast. "It is said that their weapons are buried underground. We have bombs like the Gazap, as well as the Hayalet 1 and Hayalet 2 series," he stated on air. He added a direct warning: "If you act this way, then the other side will also take certain measures." The same broadcast covered cultural events in Bosnia and Herzegovina where performers dressed in Ottoman Janissary uniforms appeared in Sarajevo and Mostar, with Turkish media framing the events as celebrations of Ottoman heritage in the Balkans. Separately, Hürriyet's Washington correspondent reported that Greece and Israel view F-35s as their primary strategic edge in the region and are working to block Turkey's return to the program, predicting a "tough political battle in Congress." #Greece #Turkey #AegeanSecurity