Israel worried about Germany-Egypt submarine deal

A report in the Israeli media claims that the government is hoping that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will veto a proposed deal for a Germany company to build two submarines for Egypt. The German Ministry of Defence has told Israeli officials that the submarines deal between a German company and Egypt needs government approval to go ahead, claimed a report in Yedioth Ahronoth.

---

Although the deal was signed by the ousted Egyptian regime, it was only announced last week by Admiral Osama Ahmed al-Jindi, who said that two Class 209 submarines are being sought to protect Egypt’s territorial waters. Israel’s worry is that the Egyptian navy will be stronger than its own if the deal goes ahead.

Germany sold some Dolphin Class submarines to Israel recently, each capable of carrying missiles with nuclear warheads. They are basically the same class as the 209 version, but more sophisticated. A number of navies around the world use the 209, including Greece, Argentina, Brazil and Turkey.