Greece protects Bulgaria’s airspace with Patriot systems and F-16s

Greece will provide all possible help for Bulgaria’s anti-ballistic protection against Iran, as Defense Minister Nikos Dendias informed his Bulgarian counterpart.

Mr. Dendias had another phone conversation with Atanas Zapryanov, with whom he had already spoken last night. They discussed Greece’s support for Bulgaria as part of strengthening defense against potential threats.

Following this, and according to a decision by the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA), a Patriot missile battery will be moved within Greek territory to northern Greece to provide anti-ballistic coverage to the neighboring country. It is worth noting that, according to reports, the Patriot battery will be relocated specifically to the region of Thrace, something that could potentially trigger a reaction from Turkey.

At the same time, a pair of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets will be moved to an air base in northern Greece in order to provide missile-defense protection to Bulgaria.

Additionally, two senior officers from the Hellenic Air Force will travel to the operations center of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in Sofia, where Mr. Dendias will also go for a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart.

Dendias: Greece’s own anti-ballistic protection is not affected

Mr. Dendias stated in particular:

“Yesterday and today I communicated with the Bulgarian Minister of Defense, Atanas Zapryanov. Following a request from the Bulgarian side yesterday, I informed him today that Greece will provide assets and personnel to help protect Bulgaria.

Specifically, after a decision by KYSEA, within the next few hours a PATRIOT battery will be transferred to a suitable area in northern Greek territory to provide anti-ballistic coverage to a large part of Bulgaria’s territory. In addition, a pair of F-16s will be redeployed to an air base in Northern Greece with the exclusive mission of providing additional coverage to Bulgaria.

Furthermore, for effective coordination, two senior officers of the Hellenic Air Force will be sent to the Operations Center of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in Sofia.

I want to make it clear that the above actions were taken following a request by Bulgaria, a member state of NATO and the European Union, and that the anti-ballistic protection capability of Greek territory is not affected in the slightest. Also, next week, following an invitation from my Bulgarian counterpart, I will visit Sofia.”

Why Greece is rushing to support Bulgaria

Earlier, Bulgaria’s prime minister, Andrey Gurov, assured the Bulgarian parliament that the country is not participating in military operations by Israel and the United States against Iran. There is concern in Bulgaria particularly because of the presence of American aircraft in the country.

Gurov stated, however, that Bulgaria will continue to fulfill its obligations within NATO. But he assured that the American presence in the country has not increased and that Bulgaria will not have any direct involvement in a war against Iran.

It should be noted that, theoretically, southern Bulgaria is within range of Iranian ballistic missiles. In practice, however, it is unlikely that a missile or even a drone could reach it operationally, as it would have to pass through Turkey’s air-defense shield and the NATO base at Incirlik Air Base.

In reality, there is essentially no reason for Iran to attempt to strike Bulgaria.

However, Athens appears to have seized another opportunity to strengthen its geopolitical role and to show—mainly to the United States but also to European partners—that Greece is a reliable ally and the defensive “shield” of Europe in the region.