It may be that the Patriot batteries have been deemed necessary to return to their home bases as part of a broader redeployment of forces for maintenance and operational purposes by the Armed Forces.

However, military sources reportedly want a pair of Mirage 2000-5 Mk2 fighter jets to be relocated to Karpathos in the future.

According to the same sources, this development does not stem from any specific concern or reaction to regional developments.

Rather, it reflects changing operational conditions aimed at ensuring the country’s deterrent capability under all circumstances.

In the same context, if it is operationally assessed at some point that the two F-16 fighter aircraft transferred to Cyprus need to return to their squadrons, they will be replaced by an equal number of fighter jets, as any such move will be based solely on operational criteria.