Israel wants to strengthen its alliance with Cyprus and Greece with a natural gas project in the Mediterranean. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiadis, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening.

The countries plan to supply gas to Europe from 2025 via a 2,100-kilometer pipeline. The project is expected to cost six billion euros. Israel's axis with Cyprus and Greece had developed in recent years after Israel's relations with Turkey had deteriorated.

The pipeline, which will be up to 3,000 meters deep on the Mediterranean seabed, will bring natural gas from the rich deposits in the sea off Israel to Cyprus and from there to Crete and via mainland Greece to Italy. However, the signing of an official agreement between the countries, which was originally planned for February, is still being delayed.