A Turkish combat drone was spotted in the sky over Nicosia and Kyrenia

Today, a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted in the sky between Nicosia and Kyrenia.

Earlier, the drone flew near the coast of Dalaman in southwestern Turkey, then flew along the southern coast of Turkey and later to Cyprus.

The drone was launched amid escalating tensions in the region: Iran and Israel have been exchanging missile attacks for three consecutive nights, and regional powers are preparing for possible further escalation.

The Bayraktar TB2 was previously used by Turkey to strike targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Iraq and Syria, and was also used by the Ukrainian armed forces and Azerbaijan during the Second Karabakh War.

Last year, the chairman of the northern air traffic controllers union, Cem Kapısız, warned that the Geçitkale (Lefkoniko) airbase in the north "may be used" by the Turkish Air Force if tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.

According to him, "The war in the Middle East is getting hotter every day," and therefore "Geçitkale may be used if Turkey also intervenes in the regional tensions."

"There is always such a possibility. When we think about our island and our status, and see that our current policy is also inciting war, does the division of Cyprus and the potential of this division in connection with the tensions in the Middle East give other guarantors the right to stop it?"

Geçitkale (Lefkoniko) Airport was officially handed over to the Turkish armed forces in January and has been used for military purposes since 2019.

Between 2002 and 2004, the airport handled regular passenger flights, being the main civilian airport in the north of the country, while Erjan (Timbou) Airport was renovated but is almost unused.

Earlier, in 1998, Turkey temporarily stationed six F-16 fighter jets at the airport in response to Greece deploying four F-16s and two Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport planes at Paphos Airport amid growing tensions between the two countries.

The airport was leased to former owner Polli Pek and Kibris Media Group's Asil Nadir from 2010 to 2023. He aimed to turn it into a VIP and charter center, but the "government" terminated the contract with him in January last year.