Why has Greece signed a $3.5bn missile deal with Israel?

Greece has inked a weapons deal with Israel that will see a $3.5bn multi-layered air defence system delivered to Athens in what is the largest defence agreement ever between the two countries.The agreement, signed on Monday in Tel Aviv, comes as Greece’s relations with its neighbour and rival, Turkiye, have grown more sour. It also, however, breaks with a broader European wariness of being seen as too close to Israel, following the genocidal war on Gaza and Israel’s increasingly blatant efforts to annex the occupied West Bank.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4The Bulgarian village that fears becoming an Iranian targetlist 2 of 4Why India is sharing missile secrets with its private sectorlist 3 of 4Kyiv launches criminal probe into arms depot attack that killed dozenslist 4 of 4Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye meet: What’s next for their defence pact?end of listGreece and Israel have long shared economic and diplomatic ties. They’ve also regularly conducted joint military exercises.The new purchase is part of Greece’s plans to modernise its military by 2030. Athens will spend about 28 billion euros ($32bn) by 2036 to build the Israeli defence system, known collectively in...