Greece to buy artillery systems from Israel worth over $600 million

Most of the systems will protect northeastern borders with Turkey, Aegean Sea islands; deal comes as Athens negotiates with Jerusalem for $2B. Iron Dome-like missile defense system

ATHENS, Greece (Reuters) — Greece is in advanced talks to buy 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel as it pushes to modernize its armed forces, two officials said on Friday.

The discussions on the 600-700 million euro ($630 million-$735 million) deal come as the countries are in negotiations for Israel to sell Greece a 2-billion-euro anti-aircraft and missile defense dome.

Greece’s government will submit the deal to a parliamentary committee for approval in the first quarter of 2025, the officials said.

Athens has drafted a multi-billion, 10-year purchasing plan that also includes acquiring up to 40 new F-35 fighter jets from the US and four frigates from France.

The PULS system, made by the Israeli company Elbit, has a range of up to 300 km (190 miles), the officials said. The deal also includes the construction of components in Greece.

One of the officials added that on Friday, the country’s top decision-making body on foreign affairs and defense matters, KYSEA, approved the procurement of US-made Switchblade drones, made by AeroVironment.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcomes Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis upon his arrival prior to a meeting in Ankara, May 13, 2024. (Photo by Turkish Presidential Press Service/AFP)

Most of the new artillery systems will protect Greece’s northeastern borders with Turkey and its islands in the Aegean Sea, a second official said.

Greece and Turkey, NATO allies, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, flights over the Aegean, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.