Greece to buy air defence system from Israel
Israel’s international defence ties look set to expand as Greece announced its purchase of an Israeli-made air defence system, according to Al-Monitor via Reuters on July 23rd.
Greece has approved the purchase of a $4 billion Israeli-made multi-layer air defence system, several types of drones and Embraer’s C-390 military transport aircraft, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed.
Reportedly, Greece wants to develop a multi-layer anti-ballistic, anti-aircraft and anti-drone system, called “Achilles Shield”, using Israeli radars and missiles from Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
This military build-up is part of broader plans for Greece to modernise its armed forces, which is estimated to cost over $31 billion by 2036.
Currently, Greece uses US Patriot and old Russian S-300 systems to defend its airspace; Greece spends nearly 3.5% of its gross domestic product on defence due to its long-standing dispute with Turkey.
Furthermore, Greece and Israel operate an air training centre on Greek territory, hold joint military drills and cooperate in areas of cybersecurity and anti-drone systems.
Greece’s purchase of Israeli arms comes amid concerns about complicity in war crimes amid Israel’s wars on Gaza, Iran and Lebanon.
IAI and Rafael are among several defence contractors facing scrutiny over alleged complicity in human rights abuses in Iran, Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Despite these concerns, European nations, including Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Serbia, have sought Israeli defence cooperation since 2023.
On June 2nd, Israel’s Defence Ministry claimed that arms exports had reached “a record high” in 2025, with Europe being the largest arms purchaser.
Governments have reportedly expressed interest in weapons advertised as “battle-tested” by defence contractors.
Accounting for 47% of Israel’s total conventional arms imports since 2023, Germany is Israel’s second-largest arms supplier; the US covers the remaining 53%.
Increased European interest in Israeli defence systems has been linked to growing security concerns about Russia, which is driving interest in systems designed to counter intermediate-range ballistic missiles and short-range rockets.
Outside of Europe, Thailand, India and Morocco have also sought defence cooperation with Israel.
Maghrebi has contacted Dendias for comment on Greece’s purchase of an Israeli air defence system, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Al-Monitor via Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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