Why has Greece signed a $3.5bn missile deal with Israel?

What the report says

Greece has signed a $3.5bn air-defence agreement with Israel, in what Al Jazeera describes as the largest defence deal ever between the two countries. The pact was signed in Tel Aviv and will supply Athens with a multi-layered system known in Greece as the Achilles Shield. The article says the deal is part of Greece’s wider military modernisation plan and comes amid rising tensions with Turkiye, as well as broader European sensitivity about close security ties with Israel during the Gaza war.

According to the report, the system will combine several Israeli technologies, including David’s Sling, Spyder and Barak MX, along with surveillance radars and an artificial-intelligence-enabled command centre. The full system is expected to be delivered in stages and reach operational readiness within about 35 months. Greece is also planning major defence spending over the coming years, including purchases of US F-35 fighter jets and European naval vessels.

Al Jazeera says analysts link the deal to Greek concerns about regional security, including the risk of spillover from the war involving Israel and Iran and the growing missile and drone capabilities of Turkiye. Greece and Turkiye have longstanding disputes over the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, and the article notes that Athens may deploy the first elements of the new shield in the Aegean.

The report also highlights criticism inside Greece and in parts of Europe, where some opponents argue that deeper cooperation with Israel is politically and morally controversial because of the war in Gaza and tensions over the occupied West Bank.