Cyprus and Greece could play a key role in a broader regional security architecture stretching from India and the Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean, the director general of Israel’s defence ministry, Maj Gen (ret.) Amir Baram, said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Herzliya Conference hosted by Reichman University, Baram argued that the threat posed by Iran requires not only stronger Israeli defence capabilities, but also the expansion of Israel’s strategic partnerships across the region.

According to Baram, recent conflicts have demonstrated to regional actors the costs associated with Iran’s military strengthening and created a shared interest in building a broader strategic axis “from India, through the United Arab Emirates, to Greece and Cyprus”.

He said Israel’s technological and operational expertise, combined with the economic power of Gulf states, could form the basis of a new “security and economic front” spanning a large part of the region.

“The war has shown all regional players the cost of Iran’s military build-up,” Baram said, arguing that this had created new opportunities for cooperation among countries with shared strategic interests.

Baram stressed, however, that expanding regional partnerships should not be viewed as a substitute for Israel’s strategic alliance with the United States.

Rather, he said, stronger regional cooperation could enhance Israel’s strategic flexibility and strengthen its international standing.

He also referred to a new US-Israel security memorandum currently under discussion, arguing that the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem should be based not only on shared values, but also on concrete strategic interests.

The remarks come amid growing regional discussions on the creation of new security and economic frameworks linking countries in the eastern Mediterranean, the Gulf and South Asia, against the backdrop of continued tensions involving Iran and shifting geopolitical alliances in the wider region.