Turkish jets carrying out missions over the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean were harassed by a Greek S-300 air defense system, according to Turkish Defense Ministry sources.
Turkish jets were "radar locked" on Aug. 23 on a mission in international airspace, said the sources, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, describing the Greek harassment as a "hostile act" according to the NATO rules of engagement.
"Despite this hostile act, the planes completed their planned missions and returned to their bases safely," the sources added.
The harassment came from the S-300 air defense system stationed on the island of Crete, the sources stressed, mentioning how some NATO countries continue to criticize Türkiye for buying Russian-made S-400 systems but say nothing about Greece.
Telling how Greece bought the previous version of the system nearly 25 years ago, sources say that a NATO country, namely Greece, harassing another NATO country's warplanes through the Russian-made S-300 system is "against the principles of the NATO alliance."
