Greece’s military chief of staff has visited Cyprus, shortly after talks in Israel with the country’s military leadership, the Defense Ministry said Friday.

A ministry statement said General Dimitrios Houpis met his Cypriot counterpart, Lt. Gen. Emmanouil Theodorou, and Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas.

During the two-day visit Thursday and Friday, Houpis also visited Greek troops stationed on Cyprus as well as military assets deployed this year to the eastern Mediterranean Sea island amid fears of potential Iranian strikes amid the war in the Persian Gulf, and spoke to personnel.

Four Greek F-16 jet fighters and the Nikoforos Fokas frigate are currently stationed on Cyprus.

On Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said Houpis had travelled to Israel for talks with his Israeli counterpart, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Defense Ministry officials.

Greece and Israel have greatly boosted their military cooperation in recent years amid shifting regional challenges and Israel’s deteriorating relations with Turkey, Greece’s historic regional rival.

Source: Ekathimerini.com