Israel confirms deal to sell Spike missile system to Greece

Israel’s defense ministry on Monday confirmed an agreement to sell Greece with the Spike Nlos multi-purpose ground-level missile system, following several delays and the near-collapse of the deal.

The Greek government approved of the contract last month, while the specific weapons system’s purchase dominated a meeting last November between the two countries’ defense ministers.

The Spike is billed as a guided anti-tank and anti-personnel missile produced by Israeli state-owned defense contractor Rafael. Individual missiles can be launched from about 45 platforms on land, sea and air.

In a Tweet, Israel’s defense ministry noted that “…a government-to-government defense exports agreement was signed between the Israel Ministry of Defense and the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence to acquire Rafael’s ‘Spike’ missiles. The agreement was led by the IMoD’s SIBAT and is valued at approximately 370 million Euros.”

On his part, Israeli DM Yoav Gallant was quoted by Israeli media as saying that the “…the current deal, which joins a series of recently signed deals, is a testament to the strong partnership between the countries and their defense systems and their commitment to ensure stability in the region.”