Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Sunday, where they discussed shared challenges in the region along with ways to deepen the already strong bilateral ties.
During the meeting, Mitsotakis and Netanyahu reiterated the strategic relationship between Greece and Israel and focused on further cooperation between the two countries in the defense sector. They discussed regional development in the Eastern Mediterranean while Prime Minister Mitsotakis underlined the importance of the shared energy projects in the region as essential to regional stability. He also stressed the significance of Lebanon’s stability and noted the need for an end to Israel’s military operations in Gaza while simultaneously repeated the call for the release of Israeli hostages.
Ahead of the meeting, which was first held privately and was then expanded, Netanyahu said that the two men would discuss the “security challenges, economic opportunities and the ways we can create the chances for a lasting peace in our region.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed Mitsotakis by calling him a “good friend,” and added that ties between the two countries “are constantly increasing.” “I know of many Israelis who are going to Greece, investing in Greece, which is a vote of confidence,” he added.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis on the other hand, stressed the strategic relationship between the two countries, adding that “we want to also focus on our economic cooperation, but also to our cooperation on defense, which is particularly important for us in Greece.”
Earlier, Mitsotakis also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, with both men emphasizing the close bilateral ties between Greece and Israel.
In Greece, which has been in advanced talks with Israel to deploy an anti-aircraft and missile defense system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome, air defense, according to the Minister of Defense, Nikos Dendias, will be completed in about two and a half to three years, when a single umbrella will be created from Cyprus, Crete, and the entire Aegean.
This new anti-aircraft umbrella that Greece will acquire was presented in November 2024 by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias prior to the Greek Parliament.
The defenses would likely mimic Israel’s Iron Dome and other systems that intercept short- and long-range missiles launched during strikes from its neighbors amid the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
“The plan is to create a multi-layer anti-aircraft and anti-drone system,” one source with knowledge of the issue told Reuters after a closed-door briefing with Dendias. “We are in discussions with Israel,” the source said.
Greece plans to deploy an anti-drone system similar to the Israeli Iron Dome, Dendias said recently, adding that the “plan is underway.”
He stressed that by observing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it was determined Greece needs anti-aircraft and anti-drone coverage. “It won’t happen tomorrow, but it will happen. There is a significant expenditure foreseen for this purpose,” he added.
As he noted, “Turkey has taken steps to produce drones, but Greece did not foresee [until now] that this gap in the defense capabilities should be bridged.”
The Iron Dome is a central component of Israel’s air defense system. Developed by Israel with US backing, it specializes in shooting down short-range rockets. It has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was activated early last decade, including thousands of interceptions during the current war against Hamas and Hezbollah.
