Israel's intelligence community, including the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the Mossad, and Israeli Navy intelligence, ...

Israel's intelligence community, including the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the Mossad, and Israeli Navy intelligence, has begun closely monitoring Turkey's expanding military presence in Libya and the implications of the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum, according to an analysis by Amir Bohbot published in the Jerusalem Post. The 2019 deal carved out a maritime corridor between Turkish and Libyan coastlines that effectively bypasses the geographic presence of Greek islands, including Crete and Rhodes. Israeli defense officials are now concerned that this corridor could restrict or isolate Israel's freedom of navigation in the Eastern Mediterranean. One of the central concerns involves the planned natural gas pipeline connecting Israel to Cyprus, then through Greece and onward to Europe. According to the Jerusalem Post's sources, the Turkey-Libya memorandum and Turkey's growing footprint in the region could complicate or block that pipeline's construction entirely. Israeli defense planners are also flagging risks to undersea communications infrastructure and electrical cables in the Eastern Mediterranean, with concerns about their vulnerability if regional tensions escalate further. Turkey already maintains a military presence in Libya across both air and sea, with Turkish advisers on the ground and regular visits by senior military officers. The analysis is being assessed in the context of Israel's existing energy agreements with Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt. According to Israeli sources cited by the Jerusalem Post, there is concern inside the Israeli defense establishment that Erdogan's moves in Libya are part of a broader strategy to limit Israel's regional partnerships and energy ambitions. #Israel #Turkey #EasternMediterranean