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What Is Driving the Defence Deal Between Israel and Greece?

From Al Jazeera · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources New plan
  • Greece and Israel signed a $3.5 billion agreement for a multilayered air defence system known as the Achilles Shield.
  • The deal comes amid longstanding disputes between Greece and Türkiye and worsening relations between Israel and Türkiye.
  • An Al Jazeera discussion examines how the strengthening Israel-Greece alliance could affect the region.

Greece and Israel have signed a $3.5 billion weapons agreement, one of the largest military deals in Israel’s history. The Achilles Shield system will give Greece a multilayered air defence capability intended to counter threats that the two countries describe as shared.

The agreement arrives as tensions between Greece and Türkiye increase. The neighbouring countries have disputed a range of territorial issues for more than five decades, creating a persistent source of friction in the eastern Mediterranean.

At the same time, relations between Israel and Türkiye have deteriorated. Israel and Greece have responded by strengthening their alliance, adding a broader regional dimension to the defence agreement.

An Inside Story programme presented by Tom McRae brought together George Tzogopoulos of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, former Israeli Foreign Ministry director general Alon Liel, and Murat Yesiltas of the SETA Foundation to discuss the deal and its possible regional ramifications.

About this summary

Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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