German frigate “North Rhine-Westphalia“ (FGS Nordrhein-Westfalen) arrived in the port of Limassol in Cyprus today, joining other foreign warships stationed on the island due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Cyprus Mail reports, BTA reports.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Lethimbiotis said that Germany would support preventive measures to protect the island after the British base Akrotiri was hit by an Iranian drone on March 2.
Several NATO and European Union member states have already sent or announced their intention to send assistance.
On the same day, Greece deployed four F-16 fighter jets and two frigates, including the “Kimon“, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as “the pride of the Greek navy“.
The French frigate The Languedoc arrived in Cypriot waters on Wednesday, and President Emmanuel Macron announced that the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle would be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean. On Friday, it was reported that the carrier's strike group had passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Italy confirmed the dispatch of the frigate Federico Martinego, while Spain will send the Cristobal Colon. Six Turkish F-16 fighter jets are expected tomorrow, according to Aksin Meseli, interim director of the Turkish Cypriot aviation authority.
The United Kingdom, which has two sovereign bases on the island - Akrotiri and Dhekelia - has already sent two AW159 Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone missiles, and the warship HMS Dragon Type 45 is expected to sail from Portsmouth in the coming days. The BBC reports that Britain is also considering sending an aircraft carrier to the area.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the Akrotiri base is being used for missions to neutralize Iranian drones, with operations being carried out by F-35 fighter jets based on the island, notes the “Cyprus Mail“.