The US base at the Souda bay on the island of Crete was set on emergency alert and air defense measures were put into effect activated, while the base closed for unauthorized persons for security reasons on Saturday afternoon, February 28, 2026.
Entry to and exit from the Souda base has been prohibited, except for authorized personnel, Skai TV reported.
All these measures follow Iran’s threats to strike American bases and the relative proximity to Iran.
Information indicates that the measures order will be in effect until Tuesday, March 3, and a general order was issued according to which the Souda base is closed for security reasons.
The same measures are in effect also in the naval base in Marathi, in the North of the Souda Bay.
Speaking to state-run news agency amna.gr, sources from the National Defense Ministry said that “in Souda, the usual security measures are being taken for such cases, while the airport is operating normally.”
Iran’s Threats
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have officially declared that every US base is a target:
“As we had announced, in response to the shameless aggression of the US and the Zionist regime against Islamic Iran, all occupied territories and criminal US bases in the region have been dealt crushing blows by Iranian missiles, and this operation will continue relentlessly until the enemy is finally defeated.”
The Souda bay and Greece
The Souda base hosts US air and naval forces and according to information of daily dimokratia.gr, there are currently:
2 F-35, 4 A-10, 5 Air refueling KC-135 for aerial refueling, 3 “Poseidon” naval assistance and others.
The base can also be used for refueling of US aircraft coming for Ramstein in Germany and heading for the Middle East.
It is noted that the refueling of US aircraft within the Athens FIR is carried out in accordance with the relevant Greece-USA Moratorium of Understanding, according to which American aircraft submit flight plans and respect the 10 nautical miles.
The greater involvement of Souda in American operations also carries the risk of targeting Souda and Crete as a whole by the Iranian armed forces.
As is known, Iran has a number of ballistic missiles that can hit both Israel, primarily, as well as the Souda base.
Israel has the “Iron Dome”, but it is ineffective when overloaded. The protection of Souda and Crete in general is left to the US anti-missile defense, for which there are no further operational details.
Beginning of the week, aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford docked at the Souda Bay for three days for refueling, sailors’ break and to solve its major sanitary problems with its stuck toilets.
