Tourists on the Greek island of Crete were given an unexpected spectacle on Friday as a major Greece-Egypt military exercise unfolded near a beach outside the port city of Chania.
The annual Medusa military drills featured simulated drone attacks, fast-boat landings and live-fire scenarios involving marines and special forces, with some activities taking place about 50 metres from the shoreline.
Greek military police kept holidaymakers at a safe distance as troops advanced through coloured smoke onto the beach, while fighter jets and helicopters flew overhead.
The hour-long exercise attracted considerable attention from tourists, some of whom said they were surprised by the scale of the operation.
One holidaymaker from northern England, Carr, said she initially thought the activity was simply a routine military exercise but was struck by its intensity.
“I just saw that it was some kind of military exercise, but I must admit I didn’t expect it to be the scale that it’s been. We were just like: wow,” she said.
The Medusa exercise ran from September 10 to 18 and involved Greece, Egypt, France, Italy and Cyprus as part of broader military cooperation among Mediterranean countries.
Egypt deployed the helicopter carrier Gamal Abdel Nasser for the exercise, while observers from Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Mozambique also attended.
The drills come amid heightened security concerns in the Mediterranean and wider region, with conflicts, economic pressures and uncertainty over the future role of the United States prompting countries to strengthen military cooperation and defence capabilities.
Greece last month signed a three-billion-euro agreement with Israel to develop a new air-defence system known as the Achilles Shield.
The development came weeks after Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a major defence agreement.
The Medusa exercises underscore the growing military cooperation among countries in and around the Mediterranean, while also highlighting the increasing visibility of military activity in areas frequented by tourists.
