“Prepare for war with Turkey.” Marco Moreno, a reserve lieutenant colonel and former senior official in Unit 504 of Israeli military intelligence, has issued a direct warning to Greece in an exclusive interview with Proto Thema. He explains why he considers Turkey a genuine threat to Greek security and insists that Athens must take the possibility of military confrontation seriously. His assessment comes from an officer with many years of experience in intelligence operations, particularly in Lebanon and Syria, two theatres where security balances along Israel’s northern borders have been shaped over decades.

Moreno’s operational background helps explain the perspective from which he views current developments. With approximately 25 years of experience, he served in senior positions within Unit 504, which specialises in gathering intelligence from human sources. His responsibilities included managing agents and intelligence networks, as well as planning and directing special operations beyond Israel’s borders. His work required first-hand knowledge of local power dynamics, armed organisations and the people able to provide access to critical intelligence. Lebanon and Syria were the principal arenas for these activities.

A particularly important part of his career was his contribution to the effort associated with Operation Good Neighbour. During the Syrian civil war, Moreno helped establish contacts across the border and organise a mechanism combining relationships with local groups in southern Syria with humanitarian assistance for the population. Thousands of Syrian civilians received aid through the initiative. For Moreno, the experience was a significant part of a career in which military requirements, intelligence gathering and contacts with people on the other side of the border were closely intertwined.

In his interview with Giannis Haramidis, the focus shifts to Greece and the threat Moreno believes Turkey represents. He urges Greece to approach this prospect seriously and prepare accordingly. His warning centres on the need to be ready for a scenario that, in his assessment, Greece must consider a realistic possibility. His views are of particular interest given his previous responsibilities in intelligence operations and his knowledge of Syria, where Turkey’s presence is a key factor in the security of the wider region.

Moreno describes the Greeks as a brave and courageous people, while emphasising the need for early preparation. “Winter is coming,” he says, summing up his assessment of the challenges ahead. The exclusive interview, featured in Proto Thema’s Medusa section, gives the former officer an opportunity to explain his warning and allows Greek audiences to hear the reasoning behind his particularly stark recommendation.

What is Unit 504?

The elite clandestine Unit 504 is one of Israel’s most specialised military intelligence services, with its primary mission being the collection of intelligence through human sources.

It operates under the Israel Defense Forces’ Directorate of Military Intelligence, known as Aman, and works primarily beyond Israel’s borders, recruiting and managing informants and developing networks of contacts in strategically important areas.

Its activities focus, among other places, on Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories. The intelligence it gathers is used to assess threats and support military operations.