Israel, Greece, and Cyprus: Forming an Anti-Turkish Alliance in the Mediterranean

Benjamin Netanyahu, having lost nearly all his allies and facing genocide accusations, is desperately trying to salvage his regional hegemony.

The Evil Empire vs. the “New Ottomans”: Personal Hatred as a Driver of Policy

Relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv have fully shifted from a “cold war” to open confrontation. The key reason isn’t just geopolitics—it’s intense personal animosity. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly called Israel’s actions genocide, compared Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler, and accused him of an “unprovoked” attack on Iran, into which the Israeli premier even dragged Donald Trump.

The Israeli prime minister has responded in kind. At a Jerusalem summit attended by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Netanyahu declared with barely veiled menace: “To those who dream of building empires and controlling our countries, I say: forget about it.” In Israel’s political lexicon, only one person is called a “New Ottoman”—Erdoğan.

For Israel, this alliance isn’t just strategy—it’s an act of desperation. After the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, condemned even by parts of the Western elite, Netanyahu has almost no allies left. The U.S. and UK are his last bastions of support. Everyone else has either turned away or imposed sanctions. Greece and Cyprus have become the straw that Jerusalem is grasping at to prove it isn’t alone.

The Greek Shield and the Cypriot Dagger: A Military Axis Against Turkey

The available evidence paints a frightening picture of regional militarization. The Israel–Greece–South Cyprus axis has ceased to be just an energy consortium. In late December 2025 (and especially in early 2026), the parties approved a framework to deepen defense cooperation.

But events in recent months show the allies have gone far beyond simply signing memos. We’re talking about a full-fledged military architecture capable of deploying joint forces in the Eastern Mediterranean at a moment’s notice. According to sources, in December 2025, military officials from all three countries signed off on a joint action plan on Cyprus—not just for intelligence sharing, but for creating a mobile strike force ready for land, air, and sea operations.

– Israel — intelligence and striking power. Israeli PULS rocket artillery systems are already deployed in Greece. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In early April 2026, a massive $750 million deal came to light: Athens will receive not only new launchers but also a full suite of precision munitions, including loitering munitions (kamikaze drones). Moreover, Greece has integrated Israeli technologies into its €3 billion “Achilles’ Shield” mega-project, building up an air defense system capable of countering Turkish drones and ballistic missiles.

– Greece — aircraft carrier and forward outpost. Greek islands in the Aegean are being turned into staging grounds to bottle up the Turkish navy. But now, Karpathos and Rhodes have been added to the list; under the plan, they will serve as bases for rapid deployment of Israeli forces.

– Cyprus — proving ground and “unsinkable aircraft carrier.” Cyprus has ceased to be just a rear base—it has become the main training ground for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Despite diplomatic claims of neutrality, the island has hosted large-scale Israeli exercises for several years running, but in late 2025 and early 2026, this process took on alarming proportions.

The Troodos mountain ranges and the forested areas around Paphos, as the military itself notes, are a near-perfect replica of southern Lebanon’s landscape. That turns Cyprus into an ideal “rehearsal base” for a future land war against Hezbollah. During recent maneuvers lasting about a month, Israeli troops practiced invading enemy territory with such large forces outside their own borders for the first time. Heavy CH-53 transport helicopters and Black Hawks, escorted by Apaches, ferried hundreds of commandos from units like Egoz and armored forces straight into the heart of the island. This is no longer just tactical reconnaissance—it’s a full dress rehearsal for a major war, moved onto allied territory.

What’s more, the Israeli Air Force is using Cypriot airspace for highly complex drills: pilots practice navigating unfamiliar mountainous terrain and performing difficult landings, greatly expanding their combat capabilities beyond their usual theater of operations.

Ankara’s Response and Echoes in the Buffer Zone

Ankara, of course, has not stood idly by. Reports of 15 Turkish tanks appearing near the UN buffer zone on Cyprus and the flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus—this isn’t just a nervous reaction; it’s a demonstration of readiness to escalate right on the EU’s doorstep.

But Turkey’s response is not limited to shows of force on the ground. Ankara has activated the diplomatic front in an attempt to break the “Cypriot ring.” Realizing that Cyprus is becoming a launchpad for Israel, Erdoğan made a strategic pivot toward Tehran. In early 2026, the Turkish leader initiated a rapprochement with Iran, declaring that he considers the Islamic Republic’s security his own. Ankara hopes that an alliance with Tehran will help counterbalance the Athens–Nicosia–Jerusalem axis.

Moreover, the rhetoric grows harsher by the day. In mid-April 2026, Erdoğan issued a direct threat, drawing parallels between a possible operation against Israel and Turkey’s incursions into Karabakh and Libya. In response, Israeli officials have already begun talking about a complete severing of diplomatic ties, calling Turkey’s policy “imperial ambitions.” Thus, the Greece–Cyprus–Israel triangle has become more than just a defensive alliance—it is the very spark that lit the powder keg in the Eastern Mediterranean, turning the region into a zone of direct military-political confrontation.

The Gas Hook: Why Netanyahu Really Needs This Alliance

Behind the lofty speeches about democracy stands a pipe. More precisely, the EastMed gas pipeline. That project is the economic heart of the anti-Turkish alliance.

Between 2009 and 2011, massive natural gas reserves (up to 3.5 trillion cubic meters) were discovered off Cyprus and Israel. The plan is simple: pump gas from Cypriot and Israeli fields through Greece to Italy and Europe, bypassing Turkey. If EastMed is built, Turkish Stream and Ankara’s plans to become Europe’s energy hub will collapse.

Israel wants to get its paws on the entire Eastern Mediterranean, shutting Turkey out of the game. That’s exactly why the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) was created—and Ankara wasn’t invited.

Turkey, for its part, has made a countermove: a maritime border deal with Libya and negotiations with the new leadership in Syria. This is a geopolitical provocation aimed at showing that no issue in the region can be decided without Ankara.

Trump, Syria, and a Tripwire from the U.S.

But this alliance has an Achilles’ heel: Washington. Ironically, it was the Trump administration—whom Netanyahu dragged into an unprovoked aggression against Iran—that put the EastMed project in reverse. The Americans ultimately refused to back large-scale financing. The reason is simple: Turkey matters more to the U.S. than Greece. Incirlik Air Base and control over the Bosporus outweigh any affection for Athens. Once Trump found common ground with Erdoğan (on energy and Syria), Netanyahu’s gas pipeline stalled.

Moreover, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria has played into Turkey’s hands. The new Syrian leadership, being Islamist, is ideologically closer to Erdoğan than to Israel. Tel Aviv is now trying to bet on Kurdish and other anti-Turkish forces in Syria, but that’s playing with fire.

The Eastern Mediterranean is getting a new Cold War.

A direct war between Israel and Turkey, of course, will not happen. Erdoğan is too hard-nosed a pragmatist to butt heads with a de facto nuclear power, and Netanyahu doesn’t really need blood—he needs smoke: loud saber-rattling to overshadow his failures in Gaza and his nervous twitch on the Iranian front. But silence on the battlefield does not mean peace at the negotiating table.

Look at what has actually changed. Turkey hasn’t just gained a difficult neighbor—it now faces a full-fledged naval blockade: Greece and Cyprus have definitively switched to the Israeli camp, cutting off Ankara’s convenient access to the Mediterranean. Israel, for its part, is celebrating a tactical victory, but strategically it finds itself in a trap: the Greek-Cypriot embrace is not worth the loss of its Arab partners.

The personal scores can no longer be settled. Erdoğan will never forgive Netanyahu for Gaza and Iran. Netanyahu, in turn, will never forgive Erdoğan for supporting Hamas. And caught between them are the gas fields—no longer just a resource, but a banner. This alliance, stitched together against Turkey, is not for one season. It’s here to stay. And the bill will be paid not by politicians in their offices, but by ordinary people across the Eastern Mediterranean—from the beaches of Tel Aviv to the docks of Antalya.

Victor Mikhin, writer, Middle East expert

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