Facts behind Israel Part 1
Despite the financial crisis and the repercussions of the Arab Spring, the military expenditures of Greece, Turkey, Israel and Egypt have basically remained constant and in the case of Israel practically doubled (see Table 1).
The third country participating in EastMed, Israel, brings a different set of security risks to the table. While there has been some rapprochement between Israel and its neighbouring states, it remains locked in con ict with regional military powers, such as Iran and Syria. Of cially, Israel is still at war with neighbouring Lebanon, where the armed group Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is a declared enemy of the state of Israel.
In addition, Israel faces armed opposition from Hamas, operating mainly from the Palestine territories (Gaza and West Bank). While it is difficult to assess their actual military capabilities, both armed groups have demonstrated their willingness and ability to target critical infrastructure.
Hezbollah, in particular, is assumed to have acquired weapons capable of targeting offshore platforms. During the Israel- Lebanon war in 2006, Hezbollah already successfully red a Chinese C-802 anti-ship missile, damaging an Israeli Sa’ar 5 corvette.
Israel claims that Hezbollah is even developing new supersonic land-to-sea missiles itself and possesses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). According to Israel, Hamas has set up a naval commando unit in preparation for attacking targets at sea.
While a considerable distance away from the shore, there have been several attempted attacks by Hamas on the Tamar drilling platform since 2019 according to Israel.
The last missile attacks were reported in May 2021, leading to a temporary shut-down of the drilling rig.
Despite the financial crisis and the repercussions of the Arab Spring, the military expenditures of Greece, Turkey, Israel and Egypt have basically remained constant and in the case of Israel practically doubled (see Table 1).
The third country participating in EastMed, Israel, brings a different set of security risks to the table. While there has been some rapprochement between Israel and its neighbouring states, it remains locked in con ict with regional military powers, such as Iran and Syria. Of cially, Israel is still at war with neighbouring Lebanon, where the armed group Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is a declared enemy of the state of Israel.
In addition, Israel faces armed opposition from Hamas, operating mainly from the Palestine territories (Gaza and West Bank). While it is difficult to assess their actual military capabilities, both armed groups have demonstrated their willingness and ability to target critical infrastructure.
Hezbollah, in particular, is assumed to have acquired weapons capable of targeting offshore platforms. During the Israel- Lebanon war in 2006, Hezbollah already successfully red a Chinese C-802 anti-ship missile, damaging an Israeli Sa’ar 5 corvette.
Israel claims that Hezbollah is even developing new supersonic land-to-sea missiles itself and possesses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). According to Israel, Hamas has set up a naval commando unit in preparation for attacking targets at sea.
While a considerable distance away from the shore, there have been several attempted attacks by Hamas on the Tamar drilling platform since 2019 according to Israel.
The last missile attacks were reported in May 2021, leading to a temporary shut-down of the drilling rig.