Two Greek frigates and two Greek F-16 fighter jets are en route to Cyprus, after the island became the target of drone strikes on Monday, Greece’s Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said.

One of the two frigates is the Kimon class Belharra, a brand-new navy ship which entered service late last year, and is armed with eight Exocet anti-ship missiles and 25 anti-air missiles, as well as eight land attack missiles.

Following a meeting of Greece’s national security council (Kysea) on Monday afternoon, he said that the move came after his country’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had held a telephone conversation with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, while he himself had been in contact with his own Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas.

“After the unprovoked attacks on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, I assured Palmas that Greece, throughout the current crisis, will contribute in every possible way to the defence of the Republic of Cyprus, so that threats and illegal actions on its territory can be controlled,” he said.

He added that one of the two frigates being sent to Cyprus is armed with Greece’s Centauros anti-drone system, which works by jamming signals and thus disorientating the drones.

It also has a capacity to detect drones at a distance of up to 150 kilometres.

Greek news website NewsIt reported that the fighter jets are “actively participating in the protection of Cypriot airspace”.