Warnings from former Israeli officials about Ankara’s intentions and Konstantakopoulos’s criticism
Edited by: Giannis Panagiotakopoulos
31 October 2026
Two former senior officials of Israel’s intelligence services are sending Athens a warning about a possible war with Turkey, raising questions about the timing. At the same time, experienced journalist Dimitris Konstantakopoulos, a former associate of PM Andreas Papandreou on East–West relations and arms control issues, is raising questions about the prospects for the Greek-Israeli military alliance and the possibility of becoming trapped in situations that we have not chosen. At the centre of the issue are rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the electricity interconnector intended to link Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
“Prepare for War with Turkey”
Moreno, who served for approximately 25 years, managed agents and intelligence networks and planned special operations abroad, primarily in Lebanon and Syria. He is also associated with Operation “Good Neighbour”, an initiative which, during the Syrian civil war, combined contacts with local groups in southern Syria with humanitarian assistance for thousands of civilians.
He regards Turkey as a genuine threat to Greek security and calls on Athens to seriously consider the possibility of a military confrontation. Describing the Greeks as a brave and courageous people, he insists that preparations must be made in good time: “Winter is coming,” he says characteristically.
Unit 504 comes under the Directorate of Military Intelligence (Aman) and specialises in gathering intelligence from human sources, primarily in Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories.
Amit Assa on Erdoğan and NATO
A few days ago, Amit Assa, a retired colonel and former senior official of Shin Bet, with more than 30 years of experience in intelligence operations and counterterrorism, spoke in an interview with Christos Mazanis for Zougla.gr. «Η Ελλάδα να προετοιμάζεται για κάθε πιθανό σενάριο»
He now runs a security consultancy and is the author of the book Infiltration Games. He believes that we are on the eve of a new military operation against Iran, involving the United States and Israel, which will lead to the fall of the Tehran regime and the collapse of its proxy organisations.
Regarding Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom he describes as a leader aspiring to establish a “new caliphate”, he issues the following warning: “Erdoğan is waiting for an opportunity and may launch a limited military operation to gauge international reactions, if he feels that he will not face severe sanctions.”
As far as Greece is concerned, he questions the reliability of relying on Atlantic protection: “The defensive umbrella provided by NATO has proved that it is not an airtight solution. Therefore, one should be cautious about relying on NATO’s umbrella in a conflict between Greece and Turkey. Greece must be prepared for every eventuality.”
He advocates a military alliance between Greece, Cyprus and Israel and believes that, in the event of a crisis, Israel will stand by its allies “in an operational and tangible manner, and not merely through declarations.” Finally, he recommends that the Greek authorities become more deeply involved in migrant and Muslim communities, which, he claims, are culturally distinct from Greek society.
Konstantakopoulos’s Contrasting Perspective
By contrast, Dimitris Konstantakopoulos, in an extensive analysis, argues that the country is heading towards a dangerous crisis with Turkey because of the electricity interconnector. He reports that, according to information from pro-government circles, the crisis will end smoothly following French intervention, but says that he cannot be certain.
Konstantakopoulos questions whether rapprochement with Israel has strengthened Greece’s security. He argues that the EastMed project and the trilateral “alliances” have fueled Turkish aggression, since Ankara regards Greece as an instrument of Israel. He recalls that, according to then Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Greece came to the brink of war three times in 2020. He maintains that Israel did not support Greece when it needed it, either over the “Blue Homeland” doctrine or the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, and that such an alliance would demand, in return, Greek participation in wars planned by Tel Aviv.
In his view, the overwhelming majority of Greek media outlets are under Israeli influence and fail to report the disagreements in Cyprus surrounding the electricity interconnector project. Cyprus’s Finance Minister considers the project economically unviable, while the Energy Minister supports it for political reasons. He also questions the consistency of government policy, criticising the doctrine of “preventive war”, which is being proclaimed alongside concessions to Turkey.
He estimates that Israel is currently Turkey’s principal adversary and that Athens and Nicosia are becoming priority targets for Ankara to the extent that they are perceived as being under Tel Aviv’s control. He warns of a serious risk of uncontrolled mutual escalation, over issues that do not directly concern our national needs, under circumstances in which we risk becoming trapped in decisions made by third parties, decisions that do not necessarily serve our national interests.
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