The Israeli Navy is actively working to deter Turkish maritime expansion in the Mediterranean, with the IDF now on high ...

The Israeli Navy is actively working to deter Turkish maritime expansion in the Mediterranean, with the IDF now on high alert for any Turkish moves by sea, land, or air, according to a Jerusalem Post report. Areas near Greece and Cyprus are explicitly named among Israel's concerns, alongside Syria and Gaza. Israel struck a Syrian air base to stop Turkey from installing radar systems there, and the IDF views Turkey's presence in Syria as driven by deep religious commitment rooted in Erdogan's ideology. The Israeli military sees Turkish naval growth as a serious threat it cannot ignore. The situation is further complicated by shifting alignments in the region. Egyptian Defense Minister Ashraf Salem Zaher traveled to Ankara on July 13, a move some analysts read as a structural realignment in eastern Mediterranean geopolitics. Egypt and Turkey had been bitter rivals for over a decade, with Sisi and Erdogan clashing over the Muslim Brotherhood's rise and fall in Egypt between 2012 and 2013. Yet military cooperation between Cairo and Ankara has moved well beyond symbolic gestures. Egyptian pilots were integrated into Turkey's Anatolian Eagle aerial exercises, training under simulated high-threat conditions alongside Turkish assets. Egyptian special forces then followed with their own Golden Eagle drills focused on command interoperability, which senior observers described as an effort to merge the doctrines of two of the region's most powerful militaries. Israel is not sitting on the sidelines. In late June, Greece's Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras visited Israel and met with Israeli Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Eyal Harel. The meeting included Shayetet 13 Navy SEALs and deepened operational coordination between the two navies. Israel also sees potential for Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece to jointly counterbalance Turkish naval ambitions, with Israeli sources noting that Cairo shares concerns about Erdogan's reach into Libya and other contested areas. #Greece #Turkey #EasternMediterranean