Two pictures allegedly showing a Greek Mirage tracking a Turkish frigate made the rounds on Twitter Sunday.
The photos were shared by Ioannis Nikitas, an embedded journalist for Greece’s Defense Ministry. “The Turkish frigate targeted by a Mirage warplane of the #HellenicAirForce on a maritime impact mission,” Nikitas wrote.
“This is the language that the Turk understands. No retreat from national interests,” he added.
Tension has simmered between the two neighbors following a recent maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya, which secures the former's rights over a portion of the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece regards the deal as a violation of its own rights, though international laws deem otherwise.
In response to the deal, Athens has said it would expel the Libyan envoy Mohamed Younis AB Menfi.
On Nov. 27, Turkey and Libya's Tripoli-based U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) signed the bilateral memorandum in Istanbul, after a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj.
The deal enables Turkey to secure its rights in the Mediterranean while preventing any fait accompli maneuvers by other regional states.
The memorandum asserts Turkey's rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of unilateral drilling attempts by the Greek Cypriot administration, clarifying that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to resources in the area.
