Eyeing Turkey, Israel and Greece Work To Deepen Defense Ties

Israel and Greece, two of America’s key Mediterranean partners, are deepening their defense ties as both face continued Turkish hostility. This cooperation includes sales of advanced Israeli weapons, as well as recent air and naval exercises.

Improved Greek military capabilities and stronger ties between Israel and regional countries can help deter Turkey’s malign behavior. Some defense sales could involve U.S. components, so Washington may have to grant its approval before Athens and Jerusalem can implement their plans.

Turkey Boiling the Ocean in the Eastern Mediterranean

Greece’s defense posture has long been driven by disputes with fellow NATO member Turkey over boundaries in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. On November 18, Greek media reported that Greek coast guard vessels fired warning shots after Turkish fishing boats, escorted by the Turkish coast guard, refused to leave Greece’s territorial waters. Other recent Turkish provocations reportedly include armed F-16s entering the Athens Flight Information Region in September 2025 for the first time in over two years, and an armed F-16 entering Greek national airspace in October 2025.  

Following Hamas’s October 7 terror attack, Ankara doubled down on its support for the terror group. Turkey has provided safe haven to Hamas’s leadership and routinely threatens Israel. Turkey’s actions have steadily pushed Greece and Israel closer together.

Greece Buys Israeli Drones and Missiles, Looking at Rocket Artillery

Turkey’s belligerence is a key driver of Greece’s plan to spend around $27 billion over the next decade on military modernization, which was announced in April 2025. Athens is negotiating a purchase of 36 Israeli-made PULS rocket artillery systems. Greece also wants Israeli systems for a multi-layered air defense system that Athens is calling “Achilles Shield.” Negotiations over both purchases will continue next month. This follows recent Greek procurement of Israeli weapons including leases of Heron medium-altitude long-endurance drones in 2020 and 2021, and purchases of Orbiter-3 drones and SPIKE Non-Line-Of-Sight missiles in 2023.

Israel-Greece security cooperation extends beyond arms transfers. In 2021, the two signed a roughly $1.65 billion agreement that included the establishment and operation of a training center for the Hellenic Air Force. Notably, Israel operates the F-35, and Greece has ordered the aircraft from the U.S. with initial delivery reportedly expected in 2028. F-35s would provide a key advantage over Turkey which is still excluded from the program owing to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system. The Israeli and Greek militaries also conducted combined air exercises on November 5 and naval exercises on November 13 to enhance interoperability and “strengthen regional cooperation.”

Israel, Greece, and Cyprus are U.S. Partners in Mediterranean Security

Washington has increased its involvement in the Eastern Mediterranean, including expanding the use of Greek military facilities and ports in the past year. This bolstered defense posture on NATO’s southeastern flank is largely intended to strengthen deterrence against Moscow, but Athens likely hopes it will also reduce Ankara’s belligerence.   

U.S. interests in Mediterranean energy security are growing. On November 6, the U.S., Israeli, Greek, and Cypriot governments released a joint statement on the 3+1 Energy Ministerial to “reaffirm their shared commitment to promoting energy security and cooperation. Less than two weeks later, Washington facilitated a deal for Greece to supply American liquefied natural gas to Ukraine following repeated Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The increased U.S. military footprint could deter, monitor, or prevent any disruptions to energy infrastructure in the region.

To ensure U.S. troops have capable partners, Washington should expeditiously review Israeli arms sales to Greece if they require U.S. approval due to the inclusion of American components or technologies. Washington should also work with Athens to expand the Greek-hosted Iniochos military exercise. Israel, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and others have participated in the past, and the U.S. should encourage Saudi Arabia to build on its past participation. Additionally, the Pentagon should consider sending its own KC-46 refueling aircraft to the exercise, which Israel ordered in 2022 with delivery reportedly expected by the end of 2026. More capable allies and partners could help mitigate Turkey’s aggressive behavior and reduce regional instability.

Justin Leopold-Cohen is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD’s) Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), Ryan Brobst is the deputy director. For more analysis from the authors and CMPP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Justin on X @jleoploldcohen and Ryan @RyanBrobst_. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.