Athens is reinforcing its defenses while hoping its allies in the United States will prevent neighboring Türkiye from strengthening its military, pursuing a key defense deal with Israel while opposing the sale of fighter jets to Türkiye.

Turkish-Greek relations have been on the right track for the past couple of years, but tensions remain palpable, especially in light of Athens’ escalating defense spending. This is tied to what Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as an “open threat of war” from Türkiye during the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month.

Weeks after his remarks, Greece’s Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) convened on Thursday to give final approval for the purchase of a multilayered air defense system from Israel worth up to 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion), along with several types of drones, two sources told Reuters. KYSEA gave its initial approval earlier this year and is expected to finalize the procurement contracts, an official familiar with the deal told Reuters.

Greece wants to build a multilayered anti-ballistic, anti-aircraft and anti-drone system called the “Achilles Shield.” The system will be built around Israeli radars and missiles manufactured by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The Greek government has said it plans to spend about 28 billion euros by 2036 to modernize its armed forces, including purchasing up to 40 new F-35 fighter jets from the United States and frigates from France and Italy.

Greece spends nearly 3.5% of its gross domestic product on defense, a higher proportion than many of its NATO allies. Reflecting their close economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training center in Greece, conduct annual joint military exercises, and cooperate on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity. Last year, Greece approved the purchase of 36 Israeli-made rocket artillery systems for about 650 million euros. “KYSEA will also approve the purchase of drones from the U.S. and Israel,” the official said. A second official confirmed the details regarding the Israeli air defense system and the drone purchases. Greece currently relies on U.S.-made Patriot systems and Russian-made S-300 systems to protect its airspace.

Thousands of miles away, Athens is hoping one NATO ally will help it counter another. The International Coordinating Committee-Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), a Greek American grassroots organization, is campaigning to block the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed clear support for the sale during his visit to Türkiye for the NATO summit earlier this month. Standing alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the joint news conference in Ankara, Trump said the U.S. was prepared to lift sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and would consider Türkiye’s return to the F-35 fighter jet program. The sanctions were imposed after Türkiye purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, prompting Washington to remove Ankara from the multinational F-35 program in 2019.

Earlier this week, PSEKA announced that it had sent letters to Congress warning of what it described as the “clear and present danger” posed by the sale of F-35s to Türkiye. The organization argued that such a sale would increase the vulnerability of its allies, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, to Türkiye’s threats.

Türkiye and Greece have pursued a rapprochement after decades of hostility, but longstanding disputes continue to complicate relations. Chief among them is the disagreement over maritime boundaries in the Aegean Sea. Greece’s attempts to expand its territorial waters led Türkiye to declare a casus belli, or cause for war, in the 1990s, and that declaration remains in force.

In an interview with Greece’s ERT earlier this month, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said the casus belli had been a “huge burden” on bilateral relations and that it was “long overdue” for Türkiye to revoke the declaration it made in the 1990s.

The two countries, which came close to war over the Aegean during that decade, remain vigilant. While Türkiye has focused on developing its domestic defense industry, Greece has continued to rely on foreign partners to strengthen its military capabilities. Pursuing a doctrine centered on maintaining an effective and powerful navy, Türkiye has spent the past two decades building an indigenous defense industry capable of operating in blue-water environments, shifting regional geopolitical dynamics in its favor. Its navy plays a critical role in securing maritime trade routes in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea while supporting regional stability.

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Former leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Özgür Özel instructed lawmakers siding with him to convene for a technical meeting ahead of the establishment of his new party. Özel did not attend the discussions but was scheduled to hold a separate meeting with lawmakers on Thursday night.

Özel and the lawmakers announced their resignations from the party earlier this week, but the resignations were not yet formal. They are expected to submit their resignation letters to the new administration led by Özel’s predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, on Friday. Kılıçdaroğlu was reinstated to his post after a court annulled Özel’s chairmanship last May, citing irregularities in the 2023 intra-party vote. Özel has also held talks with members of the CHP’s former party assembly who were either removed or left the body after Kılıçdaroğlu returned to office.

The Özel camp aims for the new party to replace the CHP as the main opposition, which requires holding at least 68 seats in Parliament. Unconfirmed reports say Özel’s new party has the backing of 80 lawmakers currently in the CHP. Figures close to Kılıçdaroğlu, however, say the number of lawmakers supporting Özel will not exceed half of the current parliamentary group and that they do not expect additional members to join later.

Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu’s CHP criticized Özel’s plan to establish a new party. The party’s spokesperson, Müslim Sarı, told reporters on Wednesday that the new party being established by “Manisa lawmaker” Özgür Özel was no different from the CHP in terms of its policies, pointing to Özel’s recent speech in which he said the new party would adhere to the same principles as the CHP. “If you are going down the same path, why do you need a new party?” he said. Sarı added that they had been open to holding a new party congress, as Özel had previously requested, and that Özel and his allies had already been invited to continue their “political struggle” within the CHP. “It seems like they are more interested in having a seat in a new party than advancing their policies,” he said.

Özel’s new party will initially be ineligible for state aid, which is available to political parties that secure a certain number of votes. Parties are required to cross the electoral threshold in the first election they contest to become eligible for state funding. Devlet Bahçeli, leader of government ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), told journalists on Thursday that the state aid allocated to the CHP in 2026 should be proportionately diverted to the new party, noting that the Treasury paid more than TL 1.8 billion ($38 million) to the main opposition party this year.

“It is the ethical way,” he added.

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Secrecy and silence have fueled rumors about the future of Özgür Özel after he announced that he would establish a new, as-yet-unnamed party. The man who delivered the first tangible success in decades for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the 2024 local elections remains confident of winning the next vote. However, hours after his historic declaration, few people publicly endorsed his new bid.

Among those mentioned was Mansur Yavaş, the Ankara mayor, who is widely viewed as a popular figure and a potential future presidential contender. While the mayors of Adana and Mersin, whom Özel mentioned in his speech on Tuesday while calling on them to join him, signaled their intention to remain in the CHP, Yavaş maintained his silence on Wednesday. Cemil Tugay, the mayor of the CHP stronghold of Izmir in western Türkiye, also reportedly chose to remain in the party.

Earlier on Wednesday, Özel held talks at a hotel in Ankara with the party assembly and central executive board of his new party, as well as lawmakers who have remained loyal to him since he was ousted from the CHP chairmanship in May. His predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was reinstated by a court ruling, also convened the CHP’s Central Executive Board on Wednesday.

Özel initially decided to remain in the CHP and challenged Kılıçdaroğlu to hold a new intra-party vote, confident that he would defeat him again. However, as the process dragged on and public pressure mounted, Özel changed his mind and began working to establish a new party.

The party, rumored to be named “Istiklal” (“Independence”), is expected to be ready in time for the 2028 presidential election. However, it will not be eligible to receive Treasury funding allocated to most political parties under Turkish law, which stipulates that a newly established party must secure at least 3% of the vote in the first election it contests. This means Özel and his associates will have to rely on private donations, which could prove challenging.

Key figures close to Özel have also been accused of buying votes in the 2023 intra-party election that ended Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership. Özel’s name has also surfaced in an investigation involving CHP mayors who allegedly confessed to handing over large sums of cash, either personally or through intermediaries, to Özel and his aides to secure their candidacies. Moreover, CHP municipalities have already suffered reputational damage, as multiple mayors and municipal bureaucrats stand accused of running criminal networks involved in bribery and tender rigging.

Media outlets reported that Özel’s new party could secure up to 90 seats in Parliament through defections from the CHP. If that happens, it would become the second-largest party in Parliament.

In his speech on Tuesday – his last as the CHP parliamentary group chair following his removal from the position in May – Özel said the split within the CHP stemmed from disagreements over the party’s future amid its declining public support. He said some within the party argued for maintaining the current course and focusing on the next local elections, while others warned that the CHP risked losing voters unless it embraced change.

Describing the current state of the main opposition, Özel said: “People will not go into another local election with us if we continue like this. If we act this way, they will turn their backs on us. Voter turnout will fall to a historic low. Don’t you see the polls? The party has dropped to around 13% or 14% and continues to decline.”

He added: “A major defeat is coming. After another local election disaster, people will lose hope in the ballot box altogether. We have to act.”

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One crew member was killed and three others injured on Wednesday in a drone attack on a Turkish-flagged vessel in the Black Sea. It is the latest security incident in the vast body of water, where the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to threaten maritime safety.

Turkish media outlets reported that the MV Reyhan Sarı was carrying coal from Russia’s Port of Taman in the Sea of Azov to the northern Turkish province of Trabzon when it came under attack in international waters off Türkiye’s Samsun coast. The vessel resumed its voyage after the attack, while the injured crew members were taken ashore for treatment. Turkish authorities did not issue an official statement on the incident, which is suspected to have been carried out by a Ukrainian drone.

More than three years of the Russia-Ukraine war have jeopardized maritime security in the Black Sea. Türkiye has witnessed several drones of Russian or Ukrainian origin crash on its territory, while uncrewed armed naval vessels have frequently washed ashore. In response to growing threats, Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria established a maritime security initiative primarily tasked with clearing stray naval mines in the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s navy said on Sunday that Russian missile strikes on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain had killed five people on board, while another five crew members were reported missing.

According to the Ukrainian navy, Russia fired three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, which sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, as it was “leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain.”

“This is yet another deliberate strike by Russia against an unarmed civilian vessel flying a foreign flag that posed no military threat whatsoever,” the navy said in a statement.

“The attack constitutes an act of terrorism against peaceful navigation and a gross violation of international humanitarian law,” it added.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan raised the issue during a visit to Kyiv last week.

“The safety of navigation and commercial security in the Black Sea are of vital importance. I discussed this both with the Russian side during my visit to Moscow and with my esteemed counterpart here. It is an important matter for us and for all Black Sea countries,” Fidan said at a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Fidan also recalled that the United Nations had proposed maintaining commitments to energy security and the safety of navigation in the Black Sea even as the war continues.

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Justice Minister Akın Gürlek on Wednesday hosted his Saudi counterpart, Walid bin Muhammad Al Samaani, in Ankara. During the meeting, the two ministers exchanged views on strengthening judicial cooperation between their countries.

Gürlek highlighted the close ties between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, citing cooperation across various fields, from the economy to defense. He said the two countries attach particular importance to cooperation in the fields of law and justice.

“We are members of a shared civilization that embraces the principle that ‘Justice is the religion of the state,'” Gürlek said.

He stressed that they aim to reflect the strong vision set out by the leaders of the two countries in the field of law and justice and to develop practical and effective cooperation that will benefit both peoples.

Gürlek said that the Century of Türkiye Vision and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 both underscore the importance of strong, efficient and accessible justice systems. He added that increasing mutual delegation visits and strengthening direct contacts between legal experts would make a significant contribution to bilateral relations.

The justice minister also noted that Türkiye has implemented numerous reforms in recent years to make judicial services faster and more accessible. He said the digitalization of the judiciary, the development of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and improving citizens’ access to justice remain among the country’s priorities.

Gürlek said the National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP) enables judicial processes in Türkiye to be conducted digitally and added that the country is ready to share its expertise in digital justice.

“We are prepared to share with the Saudi Ministry of Justice our experience in the digitalization of the judiciary, artificial intelligence-supported applications, cybersecurity, judicial cooperation and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms,” he said.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Joshua Harris, a 12-year-old autistic boy recognized for his “Cake Not Hate” anti-Islamophobia campaign, praising efforts to promote kindness and inclusion.

Erdoğan met with Harris and his family at the Presidential Dolmabahçe Working Office in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Harris visited the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)’s Istanbul provincial headquarters.

Harris, accompanied by his father, Dan Harris, was welcomed by AK Party Istanbul Chair Abdullah Özdemir, who praised the young campaigner’s efforts to foster friendship and mutual respect among people of different faiths through the initiative he launched in the United Kingdom.

During the meeting, the sides discussed Harris’ campaign, which promotes solidarity and counters prejudice by encouraging dialogue and acts of kindness across religious communities.

Özdemir congratulated Joshua and his father for their stand against hate speech and anti-Muslim sentiment, or Islamophobia, saying the message delivered by the young campaigner carries universal significance despite his age.

He also underscored the importance of people from different faiths and cultures living together on the basis of mutual respect, adding that the values of love, solidarity and brotherhood should always prevail over hatred and discrimination.

Joshua and Dan Harris expressed their appreciation for the hospitality they have received in Istanbul and thanked their hosts for the warm welcome and support throughout their visit.

The meeting concluded with a commemorative group photograph.

Joshua has already visited Fatih Mosque on Sunday, Büyük Çamlıca Mosque and Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Üsküdar on Monday, and Taksim Mosque on Tuesday. He is next scheduled to visit Ortaköy Mosque and Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Mosque on July 24 as part of his 10-day program in Istanbul.

The campaign began after a far-right anti-Muslim hate incident at a mosque in Peterborough, England, last year.

In October 2025, far-right extremist Alexander Hooper entered a mosque in Peterborough and attacked members of the congregation and police officers.

Following the incident, Dan Harris and his then-12-year-old autistic son Joshua, who lived near the mosque, baked cakes and distributed them to worshippers as a gesture of solidarity.

After launching the initiative, the father and son received numerous threatening messages. In response, they decided to visit even more mosques and continue their campaign.

Their anti-Islamophobia “Cake Not Hate” campaign has since expanded to several countries, while the pair have visited more than 100 mosques across the U.K. to promote solidarity and stand against anti-Muslim hatred.

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