Ankara has grown increasingly concerned by closer Israeli-Greek military ties, particularly cooperation between their air forces.
By Akiva Van Koningsveld, JNS
The Israeli Air Force conducted a joint aerial refueling exercise with Greece’s Hellenic Air Force in the eastern Mediterranean in recent days, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to JNS on Monday.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit told JNS that the exercise “was conducted as part of a routine training activity aimed at maintaining operational readiness, in cooperation with the Greek Air Force.”
It added, “as part of the exercise, aerial refueling aircraft participated in joint training activities.”
The drill, first reported by Greek military news website OnAlert.gr on Monday, took place shortly before the July 7-8, 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara.
The IDF said its operations were carried out “in a designated refueling area south of the island of Crete, which is not located in an area of friction with NATO or the Turkish military.”
“This is a pre-approved training area coordinated with the relevant civilian air traffic control authorities and the Greek Air Force, and all relevant air traffic authorities in the area are familiar with the activity,” the statement concluded.
According to OnAlert.gr, the exercise involved an IAF aerial tanker refueling Greek F-16 fighter jets, a drill the report said demonstrated Athens’s ability to conduct long-range operations with Israeli support.
OnAlert.gr noted that Ankara has grown increasingly concerned by closer Israeli-Greek military ties, particularly cooperation between their air forces, which operate advanced aircraft including Israel’s F-35I “Adir” and Greece’s F-16 “Viper” fighter jets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier on Monday urged U.S. President Donald Trump not to provide advanced fighter jets or engines to Turkey, saying that doing so would undermine both America’s and the Jewish state’s military edge in the region.
Speaking with Fox News ahead of Trump’s departure for the NATO gathering, Netanyahu accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of calling for Israel’s destruction and cited Ankara’s hostility toward Cyprus and Greece.
“Turkey is a great country, but it’s governed by a man who calls openly for the annihilation of Israel. He occupies half of Cyprus, a NATO country. He’s threatening Greece and other NATO countries,” he told “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade.
“I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets, because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by, I think, America’s posture in the Middle East,” Netanyahu added.
Four senior Trump administration officials told The New York Times on Monday that Trump is expected to inform Erdoğan that he is prepared to readmit his country to the program that would allow it to purchase F-35s.
Though the officials differed on how Trump planned to circumvent congressional and legal restrictions, they said they expected him to signal his intention to go ahead with the move, though it remained unclear when.
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