Two armed Turkish F-16 fighter jets were involved in an engagement with Greek warplanes over the Aegean on Monday after reportedly violating Greek national airspace and initially refusing to comply with interception procedures, according to military sources in Athens.

The incident marked the first such aerial engagement in several months, possibly reflecting an uptick in tensions in the Aegean after a prolonged period of relative calm in Greek-Turkish relations.

According to the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, the two Turkish F-16s, along with two CN-235 surveillance aircraft, entered the Athens FIR over the northeastern and southeastern Aegean without submitting flight plans.

Greek fighter jets scrambled to identify the aircraft after the Turkish pilots declined instructions to leave the Athens FIR, leading to an engagement between the opposing aircraft.

Military sources said the incident also involved four violations of international air traffic rules and 10 violations of Greek national airspace. Eight of the violations were attributed to the CN-235 aircraft and two to the Turkish F-16s.

The encounter comes as Greece and Turkey have sought over the past year to preserve a more stable dialogue following years of heightened tensions over maritime boundaries, airspace and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean. While the number of airspace violations had declined significantly compared with previous years, Greek defense officials have continued to closely monitor the wider region, despite ongoing diplomatic contacts between Athens and Ankara.