From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
IDF chief meets with top Greek general as Turkey tensions rise
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Amid recent tensions with Turkey, the IDF and the Greek military announce that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met with his Greek counterpart, who was in Israel for an official visit.
The IDF says the visit by the chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, Gen. Dimitrios Choupis, “highlights the strategic importance and relevance of the military relationship already in place between Israel and Greece.”
“This relationship has been steadily encouraging a longstanding partnership between both countries,” the military adds.
Neither the IDF nor the Greek military say when the meeting took place.
???????????????????? The IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, met with the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, General Dimitrios Choupis, who completed his official visit to Israel.
The visit highlights the strategic importance and relevance of the military… pic.twitter.com/4DxVhwjflm
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 19, 2026
Israel confirmed late Tuesday that it was behind overnight airstrikes against a Syrian military airport, where it claimed Turkey was planning to deploy forces, ratcheting up already high tensions with Ankara.
Israel has been seeking to prevent Turkish entrenchment and influence in Syria, and in the past has carried out strikes purportedly to stop Turkey from assisting in building up the new Syrian government’s air force.
Aegean neighbors Greece and Turkey are longstanding military and diplomatic rivals, and Jerusalem has in the past moved closer to Athens when its ties with Turkey slump.
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