Turkish media is accusing Greece of turning its Aegean islands into "island fortresses" armed with Israeli weapons syste...

Turkish media is accusing Greece of turning its Aegean islands into "island fortresses" armed with Israeli weapons systems, including underground defense installations aimed at containing Turkey. The claims came from a Turkish television broadcast reported by Skai's Istanbul correspondent Manolis Kostidis. Journalist Busra Arslantash alleged that Greece is installing underground defense systems across its islands, while Osmaniye University professor Fatma Yesilkus said the primary reason for the buildup is, without a doubt, Turkey. Yesilkus also repeated Ankara's long-standing demand for demilitarization, citing the Treaty of Lausanne and the Paris Treaty, claiming Article 14 bars Greece from transferring military equipment to certain islands. She admitted, however, that it isn't even clear which specific islands the original report referred to. Gaziantep University professor Ali Fuat Gokce took a more direct tone, arguing that Turkey's armed drones, including the SIHA series, along with munitions like the Gazap bomb and the Hayalet 1 and 2 systems, could strike buried military installations on Greek islands. He added that the geographic proximity of the islands to Turkey's coast makes long-range missiles unnecessary. On the F-35 front, Hurriyet's Washington correspondent Yunus Paksoy weighed in on Turkey's push to rejoin the program, saying Trump's public comments to a Turkish journalist gave Ankara what he called a clear green light. Paksoy argued that Israel and Greece view the F-35 as their main strategic edge in the region for the next decade, but warned that Turkey's path back into the program will face a hard political fight in Congress. The same broadcast also aired footage of events in Bosnia-Herzegovina featuring performers in Ottoman-era Janissary uniforms, which Turkish media framed as celebrations of Ottoman heritage in the Balkans. #Greece #Turkey #Aegean