JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israeli Navy carried out a joint exercise with the Hellenic Navy in the Mediterranean this week, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday, in what appears to be a signal to Turkey.

Israeli missile boats joined vessels from several Greek naval units for the drill, which was directed by Israeli Navy chief Vice Adm. Eyal Harel and his Greek counterpart, Vice Adm. Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras. Hellenic National Defence General Staff chief Gen. Dimitrios Choupis also took part.

The IDF said the forces trained in multiple operational scenarios, among them detecting and countering threats at sea, sailing together as a combined force, and destroying an enemy vessel with missile fire.

“The exercise constitutes another step in deepening operational cooperation between the Israeli Navy and the Hellenic Navy, with the aim of strengthening joint readiness and preserving freedom of action in the Mediterranean,” the military said. It added that the drill “marks a significant leap forward in naval military cooperation between the two countries.”

In remarks released by the IDF, Harel called the strategic partnership with Greece “a significant force multiplier,” saying it enhances the ability of both navies “to operate together, defensively and offensively, to safeguard security and freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean.”

The exercise took place in the northern Cretan Sea and included live missile firings by Greek vessels using newly acquired systems, as well as strikes by Israeli missile boats. A decommissioned Greek frigate served as a target and was later sunk by a torpedo from a Greek submarine, according to Hellenic Navy accounts. The drill followed eastern Libya’s ratification of a maritime memorandum with Turkey that both Greece and Israel have opposed.