By Cemil Murat Budak
ANKARA (AA) - Turkish planes taking part in a NATO mission over the Aegean Sea were harassed by Greek F-16 jets, Turkish National Defense Ministry sources said Thursday.
The sources, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said the two Turkish F-16s were harassed on Wednesday.
As soon as the Greek jets locked their radar on the Turkish warplanes, the Turkish side responded with full force.
This is the second time this week that Greek jets locked their radar on Turkish planes on NATO missions.
On Tuesday, a similar incident took place over the Eastern Mediterranean. The issue was conveyed to NATO authorities by Türkiye and the Greek military attache was summoned to the National Defense Ministry.
The sources said that "Greece continues to persistently target NATO missions to increase tensions," and the latest harassment incident proves Greece had planned the move.
The sources added that this behavior is absolutely incompatible with the spirit of NATO alliance and puts flight safety at significant risk.
*Writing by Diyar Guldogan