Greece inks $3.5 billion deal to buy comprehensive missile system from Israel
Israel and Greece have signed a massive 3 billion euro ($3.5 billion) deal, under which the Tel Aviv regime will beef up the Mediterranean country’s defenses and build a “multi-layered” missile system for it, as the two sides continue to expand their military relationship.
The Israeli ministry of military affairs said in a statement on Monday that the multi-billion-dollar weapons deal is the largest-ever with Athens, and marks one of the biggest in Israel’s history.
The “Achilles Shield” agreement, named after the Greek mythological figure Achilles, will see Israel export several systems, including David’s Sling and SPYDER, manufactured by Rafael, and BARAK MX, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, according to the ministry.
The statement also declared that this marked the first time that Israel will supply another country with a “complete defense array against a wide range of threats,” including ballistic missiles and drones.
The agreement was inked between the director-general of the Israeli ministry of military affairs, Amir Baram, and his Greek counterpart, Ioannis Bouras, in Tel Aviv.
“Under the deal, Israel will build Greece a comprehensive, multi-layered air defense array, drawing entirely on Israeli-made systems and on the extensive operational experience Israel’s defense establishment has gained during the war,” the ministry said.
The statement said that a supplementary deal, valued at €26 million, was also signed on Monday for the sale of Rafael’s so-called Drone Dome systems.
The agreement comes at a time when Israeli arms exports have hit unprecedented levels, exceeding $19 billion last year, marking a 30% rise from 2024, according to official statistics, despite extensive criticism of Israel’s conduct in its genocidal war in Gaza, bloody onslaught against Lebanon, and war of aggression on Iran.
Israel and Greece have deepened military ties in the last decade.
Greece seeks to modernize its armed forces and spends nearly 3.5% of its gross domestic product on defense amid long-standing disputes with Turkey over sea boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean.
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