Eyeing Turkey, Greece Seeks Deal With Israel to Develop Iron Dome-like Air Defenses

Israeli military technology has showcased its effectiveness during more than a year of conflict, and other countries have taken notice. On November 14, Greek officials revealed that Athens was seeking to strike a deal with Israel to develop its own air defense array.

Currently, there are no details regarding the precise capabilities Greece seeks to obtain or whether it wants to develop an indigenous system with Israel’s help as opposed to purchasing off-the-shelf Israeli systems. There is an estimated cost, however; Reuters reported the deal would be worth around 2 billion Euros ($2.11 billion). Recovering from an economic collapse in the 2010s, Greece seeks to modernize its military capabilities. Since the incoming Trump administration will likely push NATO members to contribute a greater share to the alliance’s mutual defense, such deals between U.S. allies are consistent with Washington’s priorities.

A Tale of Two NATO Allies: Greece Collaborates With Israel, While Erdogan Pulls Turkey Eastward

Bilateral relations between Greece and Israel have seen a significant improvement in recent years as Israel’s relationship with Turkey — Greece’s main rival — continues to deteriorate under the hostile leadership of the pro-Hamas Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In March, Israel, Greece, and Greece’s Eastern Mediterranean ally Cyprus agreed on plans to lay the Great Sea Interconnector — an undersea electrical cable connecting the electrical grids of Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Europe. Additionally, the three nations plan to construct the EastMed gas pipeline connecting Cypriot and Israeli offshore natural gas fields.

Greece and Turkey’s Historic Rivalry Continues

Despite both being members of NATO since 1952, Greece and Turkey have points of conflict dating back to the 19th century. Athens and Ankara have disputed overlapping claims over maritime boundaries, exclusive economic zones, and national airspace in the Aegean Sea — which is dotted with Greek islands — and the Eastern Mediterranean. They have also feuded over the status of Cyprus — a large island off the coast of Turkey — which was split in two in 1974 after a Turkish invasion. In 2022, Erdogan boasted that Turkish missiles could hit Athens and has said on multiple occasions that Greece should “mind its place” or else Turkey “can come suddenly one night.”

Turkey’s Souring Relationship With the West

In 2019, despite prior warnings from the Pentagon, Turkey purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system. The move caused the United States to drop Turkey from the multi-nation F-35 fighter program, while Greece was added. Meanwhile, Ankara began seeking membership in the BRICS bloc of developing economies, which Turkish Finance Minister Omer Bolat, signaling Ankara’s motivation, said had “emerged as a center of resistance against the West’s desire to rule the world in a hegemonic way.” Turkey has also bombed U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria and declares its support for Hamas, whose leaders have met with Erdogan.

Europeans Seek Israeli Defense Technology

Even before the Hamas-Israel war, European nations had been looking to Israel to improve their air defenses, with the Czech Republic buying Iron Dome radars from Israel Aerospace Industries in 2019, followed by Hungary in 2020 and Slovakia in 2021. Germany signed a deal to acquire Israel’s Arrow-3 ballistic missile interceptor system in September 2023, and one month later, Finland agreed to a deal to purchase the David’s Sling system.

As European allies continue to increase their defense spending to reflect growing threats, American and Israeli defense companies can help meet European demand for cutting-edge weapons. Washington should also work with its allies to encourage them to procure common systems that facilitate the ability of U.S., Israeli, and European forces to operate together. In cases where U.S. industry cannot meet European requirements in a timely manner, Israeli industry may be able to help.

Dmitriy Shapiro is a research analyst and editor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Dmitriy and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Dmitriy on X @dmitriyshapiro. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.