The director general of Israel’s defence ministry, Maj Gen (ret.) Amir Baram, highlighted the potential role of Cyprus and Greece in a wider regional security framework stretching from India through the Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean. Speaking at the Herzliya Conference, Baram emphasized the shared regional concern over Iran’s military strengthening and the resulting opportunity to build strategic partnerships.

Baram outlined a vision for a collaborative security and economic alliance involving Israel’s technological expertise and the economic power of Gulf states, connecting countries from India and the UAE to Greece and Cyprus. He stressed that this expanded partnership aims to complement, not replace, Israel’s critical alliance with the United States.

In addition, Baram mentioned ongoing discussions of a new US-Israel security memorandum, underlining the necessity of aligning shared values with strategic interests. These remarks come amid increased efforts to establish broader regional cooperation frameworks in response to Iran’s continued influence and shifting geopolitical dynamics across the eastern Mediterranean and beyond.