Germany To Buy Missile Defense Systems To Anticipate Russian Attacks, Israeli Weapons Mentioned

JAKARTA - Germany is considering buying a missile defense system to protect against a potential attack from Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday evening.

"This is certainly one of the issues we discussed, and for good reason," he told public broadcaster ARD, when asked if Germany might buy a defense system like Israel's Iron Dome.

However, Chancellor Scholz did not specify what type of weapons system Berlin was considering.

When asked if Germany was aiming to get a missile defense system, with a longer range than existing Patriot batteries, Scholz replied bluntly.

"We need to realize that we have neighbors who are ready to use violence to uphold their interests," Chancellor Scholz replied.

Meanwhile, the newspaper Bild am Sonntag previously reported that a missile defense shield for the whole of Germany was one of the topics discussed when Kanseli Scholz met with General Eberhard Zorn, Germany's head of defence.

In particular, they talked about the possible acquisition of Israel's 'Arrow 3' anti-ballistic missile defense system, the newspaper said.

In this regard, the German Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the report. Similarly, the Israeli Ministry of Defense did not immediately comment.

Separately, Andreas Schwarz, an MP for the Social Democrats who is a spokesman for the budget, told the newspaper such a defense system made sense.

"We have to protect ourselves better from the Russian threat. For this, we need a missile defense shield across Germany quickly," he told the newspaper, adding: "Israel's Arrow 3 system is a good solution."

Meanwhile, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, head of the parliament's defense committee, said Germany should consider various options for missile defense, including against high-flying ballistic missiles that enter space for part of their flight.

"Israel manufactures such a system and it makes sense to not only look at different scenarios, but also potentially buy it as soon as possible," he told Welt television.

It is known, in a landmark speech a few days after Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Scholz announced Germany would sharply increase its defense spending to more than 2 percent of its economic output, injecting 100 billion euros into defense.