A successful combat interception by a Greek Patriot PAC-3 battery in Saudi Arabia has triggered a heated political confrontation in Athens. On Thursday, the Hellenic Force of Saudi Arabia (ELDYSA), successfully neutralized two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting critical energy infrastructure.
Despite government assurances that the action was a defensive one, the opposition warns that the interception is dragging Greece into the Middle East War.
PM Mitsotakis: “A strictly defensive action”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis defended the operation as a fulfillment of strategic obligations. “The interception was a strictly defensive action under our 2021 agreement with Saudi Arabia,” the Prime Minister stated.
He emphasized that the deployment serves national interests by protecting the global fuel supply. “Had this critical refinery been hit, oil prices today would be significantly higher,” he maintained. “Protecting energy infrastructure must remain a top priority.”
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said:
“The constant rise in oil prices is a massive threat to the living standards of Greeks, Europeans, and the entire planet…By protecting refineries and oil production units, our forces are indirectly but clearly defending the livelihoods of our citizens against the threat of global inflation.”
PASOK: “The narrative of non-involvement has been shot down
As the main opposition, PASOK issued a scathing response, arguing that the government’s rhetoric has shifted dangerously. A party spokesperson targeted Defense Minister Nikos Dendias for “boasting” about the engagement, asserting that the incident proves Greece is now an active participant in the conflict.
“The Minister of National Defense is pridefully overemphasizing the downing of two Iranian missiles by a Greek Patriot battery operated by Greek personnel,” the PASOK statement read. “The government fails to realize that this incident—and Mr. Dendias’s subsequent comments—constitutes a direct involvement of Greece in the military conflict, something the Prime Minister had previously ruled out.”
The party concluded that “along with the two Iranian missiles, the government’s narrative of non-involvement was also shot down.”
Calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Greek Patriot battery from Saudi Arabia
The rest of the opposition joined the fray with even sharper language:
- SYRIZA labeled the event a “brazen admission of involvement,” criticizing the “Trump-Netanyahu axis” and demanding the immediate recall of the 120 military personnel stationed in the Kingdom.
- The KKE (Communist Party) accused the government of “cynical participation in a dirty war,” and mocked the “culture of coffins.” The party called for a mass mobilization to close the Souda Bay base and return all Greek assets from “imperialist missions” abroad.
- Alexis Charitsis (New Left) has formally requested that Minister Dendias appear before Parliament to explain the “de facto” state of war between Greece and Iran.
International recognition
While the domestic front is fractured, the international response remains supportive. Matthew Whitaker, the US Ambassador to NATO, described the interception as “historic,” noting that it demonstrated “how successful Greece is with its own defense” and its vital role in the NATO alliance’s southern flank.
The Greek Patriot battery was deployed in 2021 to protect Saudi Aramco sites from aerial threats. Under the bilateral agreement, Saudi Arabia covers all operational costs and provides the funding to upgrade the Greek systems to the advanced PAC-3 configuration used in this week’s engagement.