Turkey’s Ministry of Defense has responded to the recent trilateral summit in Jerusalem between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus by downplaying its significance and provocatively blaming Greece for escalating tensions in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
Israel
In his Christmas Eve 2025 message from Jerusalem, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel the only Middle East country where Christians thrive, contrasting it with persecution elsewhere, including a recent arson attack on a Christmas tree in Jenin and the decline of Bethlehem’s Christian population under PA control.
Ankara – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a scathing verbal attack on Israeli Prime…
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted Greece’s emerging role as a key energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean during the 10th Trilateral Summit with Cyprus and Israel in Jerusalem. He emphasized resilient cooperation for regional stability, condemned antisemitism, and discussed energy projects, maritime security, and broader Middle East issues including Gaza, Lebanon, and post-Assad Syria.
At the 10th Trilateral Summit in Jerusalem on December 22, 2025, leaders from Israel, Greece, and Cyprus signed a joint declaration to deepen cooperation in energy, defense, innovation, and tourism, reaffirming the alliance’s role in promoting stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Seven Jewish individuals were reportedly attacked outside a synagogue in Istanbul while on their way to celebrate Hanukkah, according to unverified video footage circulating on social media. The incident has raised renewed concerns about the safety of Jewish communities amid a global rise in antisemitic incidents.
The 10th Cyprus-Greece-Israel Trilateral Summit in Jerusalem focuses on deepening cooperation in energy, defense, innovation, tourism, and cybersecurity, amid regional tensions. Leaders are set to sign a joint declaration while emphasizing political ties and the “3+1” format with U.S. involvement. President Christodoulides also reaffirmed readiness for UN-led talks on the Cyprus issue following Tufan Erhürman’s election as Turkish Cypriot leader.
As Israel, Greece, and Cyprus hold their trilateral summit in Jerusalem on December 22, 2025, shared concerns over Turkey’s regional ambitions have shifted from implicit to explicit, transforming energy-focused cooperation into a robust security alliance.
President Nikos Christodoulides travels to Israel on 22 December 2025 for bilateral meetings and the 10th Trilateral Summit with Greece and Israel, focusing on energy, defence, cybersecurity, and regional challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Israel has approved its largest-ever natural gas export deal with Egypt, worth NIS 112 billion ($35 billion), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on December 17, 2025. The agreement from the Leviathan reservoir will bring NIS 58 billion directly to state coffers, boost regional energy ties, and potentially pave the way for diplomatic progress.
Amid growing Turkish military capabilities, Greece and Israel are exploring the creation of a joint brigade-level rapid reaction force with Cyprus, aimed at enhancing deterrence and protecting critical underwater infrastructure in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Hellenic Army has operationalized the advanced SPIKE NLOS anti-tank missile systems in the Eastern Aegean Islands and Evros border region, integrating them with sensors and C4I networks for precision strikes up to 32 km. This deployment enhances Greece’s preemptive deterrence against amphibious and mechanized threats, turning strategic areas into fortified nodes.
Netanyahu is quietly lobbying Trump’s inner circle to block F-35 sales to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, fearing Erdogan could threaten Israel’s air superiority. Stealth diplomacy in action.
Greek government slams calls to ban Israel from Eurovision 2026 as “racist against Jews”; accuses opposition of “dogmatic” grandstanding.
Greece plans to station Israel’s LORA ballistic missiles on Aegean islands, providing 430km precision strike power as a direct counter to Turkey’s Tayfun arsenal. Part of the €28B Achilles’ Shield upgrade through 2036, first deliveries arrive in 2026, potentially reshaping regional security dynamics.
Masked Israeli settlers set fire to cars and sprayed racist graffiti in the Christian-majority village of Taybeh just hours before its annual Christmas market, marking the sixth such attack on the community in recent months and highlighting the surge in settler violence across the West Bank.
The Greek Parliament has approved a €650 million deal to acquire 36 advanced PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel’s Elbit Systems to bolster defenses along the border with Turkey and protect Aegean islands.
Four countries – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia – have announced they will boycott Eurovision 2026 after the EBU refused to exclude Israel amid the ongoing Gaza controversy, plunging next year’s contest into its biggest crisis in decades.
Athens, December 3, 2025 – In a major escalation of the decades-long military balance in…
Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” ambitions are hitting a wall as Greece unveils a missile-heavy “Achilles Shield” deterrence doctrine, Cyprus locks in EU-backed energy projects that bypass Ankara, and Brussels shuts Turkey out of the €150 billion SAFE defense fund amid Greek and Cypriot veto threats.
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias unveiled Greece’s new multi-domain deterrence doctrine and the “Achilles Shield” five-layer defense system, shifting Aegean protection to missile artillery and freeing new frigates for Eastern Mediterranean power projection, while firmly rejecting the Turkey-Libya memorandum.
President Trump announced his administration is finalizing the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, a move praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a major blow to regional instability.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the US will never sell F-35 stealth jets to Turkey, warning Israel would react “on steroids” compared to the Saudi deal, citing Ankara’s hostility and support for Hamas.
The UN Security Council passed Trump’s Gaza peace plan 13-0, with only Russia and China abstaining. The resolution empowers an international “Board of Peace” to oversee Gaza for two years. Hamas rejected the plan, and tensions rise in Israel over Palestinian statehood.
Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, opposes the sale of F-35 jets to Turkey due to security concerns and President Erdogan’s hostile stance, while expressing little objection to a similar deal with Saudi Arabia.
Greece is negotiating with Israel to acquire 36 PULS rocket artillery systems and advanced anti-aircraft defenses for its €3 billion “Achilles Shield” project, part of a €28 billion military upgrade by 2036.
Discover the Peloponnese, Greece’s historic peninsula emerging as the hottest travel destination for 2026. With ancient ruins, serene beaches, luxury resorts, and authentic villages, it offers a crowd-free alternative to Santorini and Mykonos—before the world catches on.
Greece and Cyprus are restructuring the GSI submarine cable project to involve U.S. and Israeli partners, shielding it from Turkish threats and internal disputes.
Israeli PM Netanyahu sends top security aides to Athens for defense talks, reinforcing ties with Greece amid opposition to Turkish military or economic roles in Gaza—a clear signal to President Erdoğan.
Kevin Spacey defied calls to boycott Israel, canceling a Greece show instead of his November 19 Tel Aviv performance. In a Channel 12 interview, the acquitted actor drew parallels between anti-Israel pressure and his own career exile, praising Israeli resilience.
