In recent years, Israel has faced growing international criticism over its conduct in Gaza and its policies and practices throughout the occupied Palestinian territories – and mounting calls for an arms embargo. Several countries have imposed full or partial restrictions on arms trading with Israel, while the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has received growing support for its campaigns across Europe and beyond.
Yet military ties between Israel and countries across the Balkans have continued to deepen. Greece is one of Israel’s closest military partners in the region, maintaining extensive cooperation and signing several major deals in recent years – most recently to buy an expensive air defence network. But cooperation has extended beyond Athens, with Israeli defence companies expanding their presence around the region through arms sales, joint ventures and technology partnerships.
Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defence company according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies for 2024, has been a major beneficiary of this expansion. The company accounted 34 per cent of its revenue in the second quarter of 2025 from the Israeli market and has signed agreements to establish joint production facilities with local partners, expanding its regional presence.
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