Greece Signs Historic $3.5 Billion Missile Deal With Israel

Greece has just signed a massive $3.5 billion missile deal with Israel, marking the biggest defence partnership ever between the two nations. Why make such a huge move now? Analysts point to growing fears over threats from the US-Israel war on Iran and Turkiye's expanding military power. The agreement was inked this Monday in Tel Aviv right as tensions with Athens' rival neighbour, Turkiye, reach new lows. Yet there is another angle here: Europe has been wary of looking too cozy with Israel following the war on Gaza and Israel's push to annex the West Bank. This purchase breaks that pattern.

Greece and Israel have long shared economic and diplomatic ties. They run joint military exercises all the time. But this new buy is part of a bigger plan for Athens to modernise its military by 2030. The Greek government says it will spend about 28 billion euros, roughly $32bn, by 2036. That cash goes toward building the Israeli defence system, known locally as Achilles Shield, and buying up to 40 F-35 fighter jets from America plus frigates from France and Italy. The Achilles Shield deal took three years to negotiate. Delivery happens in stages, with full operational readiness expected within 35 months.

So what exactly is inside this package? The Israeli Ministry of Defence says the system has three core parts. First is David's Sling, built by the Israeli Missile Defense Organization. It intercepts tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and medium-to-long-range rockets by slamming into them at supersonic speed. It can lock onto targets ranging from 40km to 300km away, that is roughly 25 miles to 185 miles. Next comes Spyder, made by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. This surface-to-air missile system hunts low-altitude threats like aircraft, helicopters, drones, and guided munitions. Finally, there is Barak MX from Israel Aerospace Industries. It handles a wider spectrum of enemies including cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, fighter jets, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles using four different interceptor models. Its reach spans 35km to 150km, or about 55 miles to 240 miles.

Israel will also send multi-mission radars for air surveillance and an artificial intelligence-enabled command centre that ties all the technology together. A spokesperson from the Israeli Defence Ministry added that a supplementary deal worth 26 million euros, around $30m, will see Israel sell Greece drone dome systems too.

Why is this happening now? Analysts say Greece is increasingly worried about threats posed by the US-Israel war on Iran, especially since Tehran has launched strikes on American allies in the Gulf. Wolfgang Pusztai, a security policy analyst who once served as an Austrian defence attache in Greece, told Al Jazeera that Greece hosts American naval bases. Those bases could become future targets for Iranians. "This is a capability that Greece and other European countries might need in the case that Iran is threatening them, too," he said. While America's Patriot defence system is highly coveted, several European nations have turned to Israel's David Sling because it is cheaper and more effective. Pusztai noted that the US itself is running critically low on Patriots. The clock is ticking.

In May, Switzerland received word that a Patriot missile delivery from the US would face delays and higher costs due to the conflict with Iran. This situation raises urgent questions about what it means for Turkiye. Greece is now wary of Ankara's growing drone capabilities, according to analysts. The two nations have long sparred over maritime boundaries, including control of disputed areas in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. Tensions between Turkiye and Israel are also rising because of the genocide happening in Gaza.

"This is certainly a reason why [Greece] will deploy the first elements of the Achilles Shield in the Aegean," Pusztai added. Turkiye has not yet reacted to this new defence deal. The strengthening military relationship between Greece, Israel, and Cyprus, with which Turkiye also has territorial tensions, has previously drawn negative reactions from Ankara.

"We're already hearing some Turkish analysts talking to Turkish media about how Greece's weapons procurement deal from Israel makes Greece effectively co-responsible for everything that Israel does in the occupied West Bank and Gaza," Al Jazeera's John Psaropoulos said from Athens. Cyprus was the first to buy Israel's Barak defence system back in December. Turkish defence commentators at the time condemned this purchase immediately.

"The Greek Cypriot administration has now become a complete proxy for the US and Israel," said Cem Gurdeniz, a prominent retired rear admiral and a major proponent of Turkiye's "Blue Homeland" maritime doctrine. This doctrine asserts Ankara's sovereignty over large swaths of disputed areas in the Aegean, Black, and Eastern Mediterranean seas.

What is the reaction to Israel in Greece? As in several European countries, many people there oppose Israel's genocide in Gaza and fear deepening ties with Israel. About 76 percent of Greeks do not believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will do the right thing regarding world affairs, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in June. Opposition figures and intellectuals have loudly criticised Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's strengthening relations with Israel. They accuse Israel of seeking to use their country as a proxy.

"The transformation of Greece into an Israeli satellite is proceeding at breakneck speed," Greece's former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis posted on X last week. "This bodes ill for the majority of Greeks, for peace in our region and for Europe and West Asia more broadly. It must be resisted.