“Israel and Greece share common strategic interests and face common regional challenges,” Katz said.
By United with Israel Staff
Israel and Greece signed a landmark defense agreement Monday worth approximately €3 billion ($3.5 billion), under which Israeli defense companies will build a comprehensive, multilayered air defense network for Greece.
The deal, dubbed “Achilles Shield,” is the largest defense export agreement ever signed between Israel and Greece and one of the largest in Israel’s history, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.
Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram and Greek procurement chief Ioannis Bouras signed the agreement at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, alongside senior Israeli defense officials and executives from Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries.
Under the agreement, Greece will receive an integrated Israeli-built air defense architecture designed to counter threats ranging from ballistic missiles and aircraft to drones.
The system will incorporate Rafael’s David’s Sling and SPYDER air defense systems, Israel Aerospace Industries’ BARAK MX system and IAI’s ELTA-made MMR multi-mission radars. Rafael will also lead the development of a new national command-and-control system integrating the various air defense capabilities.
The agreement marks the first time Israel’s Defense Ministry will provide another country with such a comprehensive air defense network, drawing heavily on technology and operational experience accumulated by Israel during recent conflicts.
A separate €26 million agreement was also signed for Rafael’s Drone Dome counter-drone systems, which will be used to protect strategic sites and bolster Greece’s defenses against unmanned aerial threats.
Israel will also expand industrial defense cooperation with Greece, including the transfer of knowledge and technology to Greek industry.
Defense Minister Israel Katz hailed the agreement as a major step in the growing strategic partnership between Jerusalem and Athens, pointing to his visit to Greece several months ago as evidence of the increasingly close ties.
“My visit to Greece several months ago as the guest of Greek Defense Minister Dendias was another expression of the depth of the strategic relationship between Israel and Greece and our shared determination to continue strengthening it,” Katz said. “During the meeting, we agreed to deepen defense cooperation between our countries.”
“Israel and Greece share common strategic interests and face common regional challenges,” he continued.
“At a time when actors with hegemonic ambitions seek to expand their influence and undermine regional stability, Israel and Greece will continue to deepen their defense and strategic cooperation and act decisively to preserve stability and safeguard their security and shared interests.”
Katz did not name Turkey, but his reference to “actors with hegemonic ambitions” comes amid sharply escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey over Ankara’s regional ambitions, particularly in Syria.
Israel has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate a Turkish military buildup in Syria that could threaten the Jewish state. Israeli officials have also accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of seeking to expand Ankara’s influence across the region, while relations between Israel and Greece have grown increasingly close.
The strengthening Israel-Greece defense relationship has taken on added strategic significance as both countries navigate their complicated relationships with Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.
Baram said the Achilles Shield agreement reflected international confidence in Israeli technology and in air defense systems that have accumulated extensive combat experience.
“The Achilles Shield deal is a strategic milestone in Israel-Greece defense relations and reflects the deep trust our partners around the world place in Israeli technological superiority and the proven operational experience of our defense systems,” he said.
Baram added that major government-to-government defense agreements help expand Israeli production lines, increase weapons stockpiles and strengthen Israel’s ability to manufacture critical defense systems domestically.
Rafael Chairman Yuval Steinitz noted that Greece will become the second European country to acquire David’s Sling, calling the agreement a major vote of confidence in Israeli defense technology.
IAI Chairman Boaz Levy similarly pointed to the combat record of Israeli air defense systems, saying they had demonstrated their capabilities against Iran and its proxies, including by intercepting ballistic threats.
The Defense Ministry said the massive agreement reflects a broader strategy of expanding Israeli defense exports while simultaneously strengthening the IDF and Israel’s domestic defense industry.
Demand for Israeli defense technology has grown as Israeli-developed systems have accumulated extensive operational experience against missiles, drones and other aerial threats during the country’s recent wars.
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