Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced that Germany is negotiating with Israel to buy the "Arrow 3" air defense system, as a step from Berlin to strengthen its armed forces.
Lapid said during a press conference with his German counterpart Olaf Schultz that "Israel will play a role in building a new German defense force, primarily in the field of air defense." , as he put it.
Germany increased its military spending after the Russian attack on Ukraine last February, and it sent many weapons to Ukraine as part of the European response to that attack.
Lapid explained that the Israeli-German talks would lead to a possible agreement in the future, but did not reveal the cost.
For his part, Schultz said that Germany will strengthen its defenses by purchasing more air defense systems in the future, and described the "Arrow 3" system as a "high performance offer", but he also refused to go into details.
The Arrow 3 missile system is an anti-ballistic missile defense system, the first missile developed by Israel and the United States and designed specifically to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere.
A German official confirmed to Reuters his country's plans to buy the "Arrow 3" system, but said that no purchase deals had been signed so far.
Lapid arrived in Germany on Sunday for a two-day visit to hold talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.