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summoned the military attaché and lodged a complaint with after Greek fighter jets allegedly harassed Turkish fighter jets that were conducting an "important mission"Ìýfor the military alliance, Turkey's state-run news agency reported on Tuesday.

The Anadolu Agency said F-16s belonging to Greece harassed Turkish pilots flying the same model by putting Turkey's aircraft under a radar lock during the NATO mission over the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey "gave the necessary response"Ìýand forced the planes to leave the area, Anadolu said, without elaborating.

Anadolu said Turkey's defence ministry notified NATO officials about the alleged harassment and summoned the Greek military official in Ankara, accusing Athens of endangering a NATO mission.

There was no immediate comment from Greece.

Although both NATO members, Turkey and Greece have decades-old disputes over an array of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disputes over the airspace there.

The disputes have brought them to the brink of war three times in the last half-century.

Tensions flared in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas of the Mediterranean Sea where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic zones, leading to a naval standoff.

Turkey has accused Greece of violating international agreements by militarising islands in the Aegean Sea.

Athens says it needs to defend the islands – many of which lie close to coast –Ìýagainst a potential attack from Turkey's large fleet of military landing craft.