Greece Deploys Patriot Missiles on Crete Island in Anticipation of US Bases in Europe Being Targeted

Greek media reported the transfer of Patriot missile batteries from the island of Karpathos in easternmost Greece to Crete, amid Iranian threats to target U.S. bases in Europe. The transfer operation began the day before yesterday, with the group departing the port of Karpathos aboard a ferry, according to Greek media outlets that published images showing the missile batteries mounted on trucks at the port while awaiting loading. The missile batteries will be transported to Crete, where the Souda military base is located, home to the largest U.S. and NATO military base in the eastern Mediterranean. According to Greek media, this redeployment follows reports that Iran is considering launching attacks against U.S. military targets in Europe if President Donald Trump escalates the war in the Strait of Hormuz. Last week, the British newspaper Financial Times cited Iranian sources as saying that Tehran would no longer confine its response to the Middle East in the context of the war with the United States, and was considering striking U.S. targets in Europe in the event of further U.S. military escalation. According to the same sources, Iranian forces have assessed the feasibility of targeting U.S. facilities in the Balkans and around the Mediterranean, focusing on Bulgaria, where the use of the Bezmer Air Base to refuel U.S. aircraft has been permitted since July 2026 for a period of three months, as well as Cyprus, where a British base was targeted by a drone strike last March.