Turkey is considering deploying F-16 fighter jets to northern Cyprus, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing a Turkish Defense Ministry source, after the Cyprus Mail said four Turkish warplanes were expected to arrive at Ercan Airport on Sunday.

The ministry source told Reuters that the possible deployment was among steps under consideration as part of phased planning to ensure the security of the Turkish Cypriot north of the island as fighting spreads across the region.

The Cyprus Mail, citing what it called competent sources, reported that four F-16s would be sent to Ercan Airport in northern Cyprus. The move would come after Greece deployed four F-16s to Paphos earlier this week. That Greek deployment, along with the dispatch of frigates and other European military assets to the island, came following a drone strike on Britain’s Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus on March 3.

The regional buildup followed a growing Middle East conflict that has spilled into the eastern Mediterranean. An Iranian-made drone struck the British base at Akrotiri, causing limited damage, while NATO air defenses intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile headed into Turkish airspace on March 4, with debris falling in Hatay province in southern Turkey.

The question of Cyprus has also brought rare signs of military coordination between Turkey and Greece. Turkish Defense Ministry spokesman Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk said this week that a Greek air force delegation would visit Turkey on Monday as a confidence-building measure.