The United States approved a $3.5 billion agreement in which Israel would sell Germany a robust missile defense system. On Thursday, the Israeli Defense Ministry said it had closed its biggest military sale.
Despite Israel’s established ties to Western Europe’s commercial and military sectors, the agreement with Germany may raise eyebrows in Moscow. Israel has avoided angering Russia by selling armaments to Kyiv to keep dealing with Moscow throughout the conflict in Ukraine.
Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, referred to the agreement as “historic.”
Netanyahu added, “The Jewish people were pulverized to dust on the territory of Nazi Germany 75 years ago.” After 75 years, “a different Germany” received defensive weapons from the Jewish state.
Germany will acquire the cutting-edge Arrow 3 defense system to protect against long-range ballistic missiles. Since the technology had been created collaboratively by the two nations, Israel wanted the U.S. State Department to greenlight the agreement. Israeli military officials have suggested that the system would improve the defense partnership between Israel and the United States while increasing Germany’s defensive capabilities.
Boris Pistorius, Germany’s Minister of Defense, expressed his satisfaction with the United States’ decision to continue with the transaction.
According to Moshe Patel, head of the Israeli Missile Defense Organization, more procedures must be taken by both Israel and Germany before the sale can be finalized, including clearance by both parliaments. On Thursday, Patel informed reporters that Germany may expect to get all of the missile system’s components by 2025 and that the system would be completely operational by 2030.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany and 16 other countries, including the UK and Sweden, created the European Sky Shield Initiative, a cooperative European air defense system.
Former head of Israel’s missile defense program, Uzi Rubin, said Arrow 3 may be relocated to protect other European nations against long-range ballistic missiles. A ballistic missile’s strongest protection, he added, but it doesn’t help much against cruise missiles or other low-flying threats.
