After three years of relative calm in the skies over the Aegean Sea, Turkey has resumed provocative air operations. On Thursday 19/12, a pair of armed Turkish F-16 fighter jets violated Greek airspace, prompting an immediate response from the Hellenic Air Force.

Greek F-16s scrambled to intercept the intruding aircraft, engaging in a mock aerial confrontation between the islands of Lemnos and Lesbos before the Turkish jets withdrew.

Authorities reported a total of eight airspace violations during the incident. In addition to the two F-16s, a Turkish ATR-72 maritime patrol aircraft was responsible for six further violations.

The incident also included four breaches of air traffic rules in the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR). These involved one F-16, two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the ATR-72.