Turkey is considering the possibility of sending F-16 fighter jets to Northern Cyprus as a security measure, a Turkish defence ministry source said Saturday, days after the island was targeted by a drone attack. "In light of recent developments, phased planning is being carried out to ensure the security of the TRNC," the source said, referring to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a territory which is only recognised by Ankara.
"The deployment of F-16 aircraft to the island is among the options being considered."
Cyprus, a European Union member that currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency, has been directly affected by retaliatory attacks following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with an Iranian-made drone hitting a British base on the island on Monday.
Nicosia said the drone was probably fired by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and not from Iran itself.
Following the incident, several European countries pledged assistance to Cyprus, sending air defences and other military assets.
With the conflict raging across the Middle East, Turkey's Defence Minister Yaser Guler said there was a "very low" chance of any direct conflict between Turkey, a NATO member, and Israel, one of Washington's closest allies.
Turkey has frequently clashed with Israel over a range of issues, notably the Gaza war and Israeli intervention in Syria, but Guler played down fears of any confrontation between the two regional powers.
- 'Very low' chance of Israel clash -
"Mounting tensions in the Middle East and the Mediterranean have significantly affected relations between Turkey and Israel in recent years," he told Turkey's Posta newspaper on Friday.
"Although there is a risk of direct military conflict, we currently see the likelihood of this as very low. To prevent undesirable situations, communication channels have been set up to reduce misunderstandings on the ground."
He also reiterated calls for Turkey to be readmitted to Washington's F-35 fighter jet programme, saying it was important "for strengthening Turkey-US ties and NATO security".
Washington booted Ankara out of its F-35 programme over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system, saying the system could allow the Russians to spy on the stealth jet's capabilities.
Both NATO allies appear keen to end the dispute, but Washington wants Turkey to get rid of the system.
"The S?400 is a system we procured to meet our air defence needs at the time.. we informed our US counterparts of our intention to use it as a self-contained system, without integrating it into NATO systems," he said.
"For this reason, we still consider this option to be the most reasonable solution."
