Greece is strengthening air defences after threats of possible Iranian attacks on US bases in Europe, moving a Patriot missile defence system from Karpathos to the Souda naval base on Crete. Kathimerini reported that the move came about 24 hours after senior Iranian officials issued the threats. The system, its equipment and personnel left Karpathos at dawn and were expected to become operational in the wider Souda area within hours.

Greece’s Defence Ministry and armed forces general staff have been on alert since last week. They are assessing the level of potential threats and considering measures to reinforce security at critical infrastructure. Athens is also concerned about Iran’s missile stockpile; allied assessments cited by the report say Iran retains a significant number of ballistic missiles, some with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometres.

The Patriot system had been deployed to Karpathos in March as part of a broader plan to protect the entire Athens Flight Information Region against potential ballistic missile attacks. Greece is also considering the future of another Patriot unit stationed in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, since September 2021. Kathimerini said the unit is more likely to return to Greece soon than have its deployment extended.