Greek military put on high alert as tensions with Turkey rise

Dispute over exploration of energy reserves in eastern Mediterranean escalates

Greece has placed its military forces on high alert, recalling its naval and air force offers from holiday, as tensions with Turkey over exploration of potentially lucrative offshore energy reserves escalate in the eastern Mediterranean.

With Ankara dispatching the Oruc Reis, a drillship escorted by gunboats, to conduct seismic research in contested waters, Athens stepped up calls for Turkey to stop the illegal" activities, intensifying a diplomatic offensive that has prompted the US, EU, France and Israel to express their growing anxiety over the situation.