RT | Thursday, September 3, 2026 
Berlin approves $930 million in weapons sales to Israel

The German government approved nearly €800 million ($930 million) in weapons exports to Israel between January and June, Der Spiegel reports, citing a government response to a parliamentary inquiry. The sum is already four times higher than the total value Berlin greenlighted last year. Around one-fifth of the exports was linked to German-Israeli defense-industry cooperation benefiting the German Armed Forces, according to the government. Just over two-thirds of the approved value is tied to the INS Drakon, a nearly 70-meter-long Dolphin II-class submarine built for Israel by German shipbuilder TKMS. The vessel, which can remain submerged for weeks, left Kiel on Tuesday and is reportedly on its way to Israel. Berlin said the remainder covered equipment not classified as ‘weapons of war’, including small arms, ammunition, explosives, and drones, according to Der Spiegel. The Left Party accused Berlin of “boundless double standards” over the deals. “As [Chancellor] Friedrich Merz was supposedly outraged by [Israeli Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir’s inhumane statements, his federal government was pushing ahead with cooperation with a government and an army facing genocide charges before the International Criminal Court, supporting settler violence in the West Bank, and continuing to occupy southern Lebanon,” MP Lea Reisner said. The controversial Israeli minister stated last month that he considers the enclave “to be ours” and urged the IDF to carry out dozens of “targeted assassinations” there every night, claiming that some in the Palestinian enclave “are not people.” – Read more