Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz speaks to EU ambassadors in Israel. Photo: Ariel Hermoni/MOD

i24 News – Israel’s outgoing defense minister Benny Gantz on Friday met his Greek counterpart Nikolas Panagiotopoulos in Athens and stressed the importance of maintaining strong alliances to counter common threats.

Gantz noted that the “world is changing” and cited global and regional challenges that countries of the eastern Mediterranean are facing, such as the war in Ukraine and ongoing tensions with Iran.

“The implications of the war in Ukraine are bleeding across national borders. The politics of extremism and terrorism are impacting countries around the world,” he said.

“Iran’s nuclear program and the use of Iranian drones by Russian forces in Ukraine is evidence that the alleged aggression of the Islamic Republic continues to be a grave threat to the region and the world,” Gantz added.

“It is clear that the global threats we see today are only the seeds of the challenges that will develop and grow in the future, impacting national security, food supplies, immigration, energy resources,” the minister continued.

Last month Gantz visited the Turkish capital, Ankara, becoming the first senior Israeli defense official to do so in more than a decade, and signaling a possible resumption of defense ties with Turkey. Earlier in August, the two countries announced full restoration of diplomatic ties and the return of the ambassadors.