Israel, Cyprus, and Greece have a shared hostility to Turkey’s regional role [Getty]
The commander of the Israeli air force, Tomer Bar, has met with senior officers of the Greek and Cypriot air forces in a meeting believed to be aimed at curtailing Turkey’s influence in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 reported on Tuesday evening.
The meeting, held in Cyprus, came amid concerns shared by the three countries that Turkey was entrenching its presence in the region, particularly in Syria.
Israel also has concerns about Turkey’s possible influence in Gaza, recently refusing to allow any Turkish troops into the devastated territory as part of a proposed International Stabilisation Force.
The Turkish, Cypriot, and Greek officers discussed strengthening security relations, activities in their airspace and reinforcing alliances with air forces in the region, which Israel previously depended on during its conflict with Iran last June.
Greece is currently in talks to purchase air defence systems and artillery from Israel, with Kan 11 reporting that it is seeking to establish an air defence umbrella.
The air force officers’ meeting comes as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis prepares to visit Jerusalem to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza.
The Greek newspaper To Vima reported that Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides was also due to join the meeting and that Athens was “eager to promote multilateral cooperation schemes in the eastern Mediterranean”.
In 2019, Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, along with the US, established a “3+1” mechanism for cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean. It was seen as part of an effort to marginalise Turkey, but it has largely been dormant in recent years. However, Greece is reportedly seeking to revive it.
Israeli media recently reported that Turkey is still seeking to send troops to Gaza despite Israel’s objections, and it was hoping that other countries’ reluctance to send forces there meant that US President Donald Trump would have no option but to rely on Turkish participation in the proposed International Stabilisation Force.
However, Turkey was excluded from a conference regarding this force hosted by the US Central Command in Qatar on Tuesday.
