The UAE is moving to strengthen a broad network of military and strategic partnerships with Israel, Greece and Cyprus as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan advance towards a joint defence framework, opening the door to new regional alignments that could place Abu Dhabi in indirect competition with the emerging axis led by Riyadh and Ankara.
The moves come as the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan enters a new institutional phase, with the three countries agreeing to establish a permanent general secretariat in Saudi Arabia and expand military cooperation, collective deterrence, integration between their armed forces and collaboration in defence industries.
The agreement, signed on 7 August, stipulates that any armed attack on one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all parties to the pact.
In parallel, the UAE is strengthening its defence ties with Israel, Greece and Cyprus through an overlapping network of military and security partnerships that observers see as a potential counterweight to the growing influence of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.
Israel and Greece Expand Defence Integration
This trajectory became more visible with the signing of a major defence agreement between Israel and Greece worth approximately €3 billion, under which a multi-layered Greek air defence system known as the “Achilles Shield” is to be developed.
The deal includes advanced Israeli air defence systems, including David’s Sling and SPYDER, alongside radar, command-and-control platforms and counter-drone systems.
The Israeli-Greek agreement is expected to integrate Israeli military technology into Greece’s defence infrastructure over the long term, including command-and-control systems, radar, training, maintenance and technical upgrades.
The development comes amid the longstanding tensions between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, where the strengthening of Greek military capabilities is widely viewed as directly connected to strategic competition with Ankara, despite Turkey not being formally named as a target of the agreement.
At the same time, Israel, Greece and Cyprus are expanding their military cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, giving Tel Aviv a more advanced strategic foothold in a region where competition with Turkey is intensifying.
Abu Dhabi Builds a Parallel Network
Within this environment, the UAE is emerging as a Gulf actor seeking to tie its strategic and military interests to a network that includes Israel, Greece and Cyprus, rather than joining the new Saudi-led defence framework.
Abu Dhabi has intensified defence cooperation with Greece while maintaining a broad strategic partnership with Cyprus covering defence, security, energy and maritime transport.
These ties intersect with the already established military and security partnership between the UAE and Israel, forming a network linking Abu Dhabi, Tel Aviv, Athens and Nicosia amid the rise of Turkish power and the expansion of Ankara’s regional influence.
The political significance of these developments has grown with the emergence of the Makkah Agreement, which brings together three powers with complementary capabilities.
Saudi Arabia provides financial, political and geographical weight. Turkey possesses one of NATO’s largest armies and a growing defence industry. Pakistan adds substantial military capabilities and nuclear deterrence.
A Strategic Challenge for the UAE
This combination presents a strategic challenge for the UAE, whose foreign policy over recent years has relied on expanding its influence through investment, ports, logistics, military alliances and relationships with international and regional powers.
The emergence of an institutionalised defence framework led by Saudi Arabia and involving Turkey and Pakistan could restrict the room for manoeuvre Abu Dhabi has sought to preserve as a regional power operating independently of Riyadh.
The UAE appears unable to balance the combined weight of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on its own, making deeper relations with Israel, Greece and Cyprus a strategic option that provides Abu Dhabi with additional leverage beyond the Gulf.
In this context, Abu Dhabi does not need to enter into direct confrontation with Saudi Arabia or openly oppose the Makkah Agreement.
Instead, it can build a parallel network of military and political relationships capable of preventing the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani axis from becoming the dominant force shaping the region’s future security order.
Israel provides this network with advanced military technology and intelligence capabilities, while Greece and Cyprus give the UAE strategic reach into the Eastern Mediterranean, one of the principal arenas of competition with Turkey.
The UAE, in turn, contributes capital, logistical capabilities and a geographical position connecting the Gulf with the emerging network of interests.
India Could Add Another Layer
India is becoming increasingly important within this strategic vision, particularly after Israeli officials discussed a concept linking India to the UAE and then to Greece and Cyprus.
Such a framework could strengthen the possibility of a geopolitical, economic and military corridor stretching from South Asia to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Although Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan maintain that the Makkah Agreement is defensive and does not target any particular state, the rise of this framework creates a new reality for other regional powers, particularly the UAE and Israel.
Both have strategic reasons to prevent Ankara and Riyadh from monopolising the formation of a new regional security architecture.
Abu Dhabi therefore appears to be responding to the shifting balance by deepening external alliances that increase its ability to navigate the emerging regional order, particularly through closer cooperation with Israel and stronger military ties with Greece and Cyprus.
While Riyadh seeks to turn the Makkah Agreement into a centre of power combining Saudi financial strength, Turkish military capacity and Pakistani deterrence, the UAE is moving to reinforce an alternative network built around Israeli military technology, the strategic positions of Greece and Cyprus, and Abu Dhabi’s financial and logistical influence.
