Israel to Purchase Four Corvettes from Germany

On Monday, May 10, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced the purchase of four German-made corvettes for potential military operations against Hezbollah and Hamas, regional allies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. General Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's Defense Minister, made this announcement during a joint press conference with his German counterpart, who was visiting Tel Aviv. Although the value of this military deal is $480 million, Reuters reports that about half of this price will be paid by the German government to the shipbuilder. German media have also reported that not only does the German government subsidy enable this deal, but the massive consortium 'ThyssenKrupp', which manufactures the corvettes, has committed to purchasing over $180 million worth of Israeli-made equipment. The Israeli Navy had previously received submarines from 'ThyssenKrupp'. The new corvettes will be built at the shipyard in the city of Kiel, near Hamburg, which had previously supplied modern submarines to Israel. These submarines have nuclear capabilities, which would provide Israel with significant military options in the event of a war with Iran. Israeli officials have also cited the protection of discovered gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea as one of the reasons for purchasing these corvettes, stating that they do not rule out the possibility of Hezbollah attempting to 'attack' these fields. According to Reuters, General Ram Rotberg, the commander of the Israeli Navy, stated that the new German corvettes will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Israeli Navy. Rotberg mentioned that the corvettes will be classified alongside the 'Sa'ar 6' class, while the 'Sa'ar 5' vessels have been considered the most powerful and largest warships in Israel until now. The announcement of the sale of four advanced German corvettes to Israel coincided with the official visit of Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, to Berlin. Rivlin was invited to Berlin to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of full political relations between his country and Germany. His visit coincides with the seventieth anniversary of the end of World War II. Rivlin told German media that by acknowledging the responsibility of Nazi Germany for the massacre of Jews, Germany has now become one of the closest supporters of the survival of the Jewish state.