TYMPAKI, Greece — An Israeli-built Heron 2 drone whirs off the tarmac on a new surveillance mission. The aircraft's sensors scan for boats along the 350-kilometer (220-mile) stretch of sea between Libya and the Greek island of Crete and can detect activity hidden below deck. Crete, Greece’s largest island, saw a threefold increase in irregular migration last year, becoming the country’s busiest point of entry with about 20,000 arrivals, even as overall irregular migration to Europe fell by 26% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to data from Frontex, the European Union's border agency. One of Europe’s deadliest migration corridors, where unclaimed bodies often wash up on shore, the passage to Crete is fueled by wars and instability across Africa and is growing busier even as pressure eases on other Mediterranean routes. As the EU readies tougher measures to combat illegal migration, Frontex says it will focus resources on Crete in an attempt to end the surge in arrivals. Longer migration route shifts calculations and response Eastern Libya has become a key launch poi