Germany and Allies Agree on Israel’s Right to Self-Defense, Warn Against Regional Escalation 

Israeli soldiers walks past burnt foliage as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, by Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers walks past burnt foliage as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, by Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. (Reuters)
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Germany and Allies Agree on Israel’s Right to Self-Defense, Warn Against Regional Escalation 

Israeli soldiers walks past burnt foliage as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, by Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers walks past burnt foliage as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, by Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, October 10, 2023. (Reuters)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that he and the leaders of the United States, France and Britain agree that Israel has the right to defend itself and are working with many regional powers in a bid to stop further escalation.

"We stand jointly on the side of Israel," Scholz told reporters after a call between the leaders on Monday.

"We were also agreed that Israel has the right to defend itself against these inhumane attacks and at the same time of course it is about avoiding a further regional escalation," Scholz said in Hamburg during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and French ministers.

"We are in intense contact with many states of the region on this," he added.



Spain Cancels Contract for Anti-tank Missiles Built by Israeli Subsidiary

 Israeli soldiers fire a mortar towards Gaza from their position near the border, as seen from Israel, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers fire a mortar towards Gaza from their position near the border, as seen from Israel, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Spain Cancels Contract for Anti-tank Missiles Built by Israeli Subsidiary

 Israeli soldiers fire a mortar towards Gaza from their position near the border, as seen from Israel, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers fire a mortar towards Gaza from their position near the border, as seen from Israel, June 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Spain has cancelled a deal for anti-tank missile systems that were to be manufactured in Madrid by a subsidiary of an Israeli company, in a bid to move away from Israeli military technology, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The decision will affect the license for 168 SPIKE LR2 anti-tank missile systems with an estimated value of 285 million euros ($325 million). The systems would have been developed in Spain by Pap Tecnos, a Madrid-based subsidiary of Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, according to local press.

“The goal is clear...a total disconnection from Israeli technology,” government spokesperson Pilar Alegría told reporters, adding the government is studying “the effects of the cancellation.”

Israel's Defense Ministry referred questions on the decision to Rafael, which told Associated Press it wasn't aware of the cancellation. Pap Tecnos, located on the outskirts of Madrid, did not comment.

Spain approved the deal on Oct. 3, 2023, four days before an assault led by Hamas on southern Israel that sparked a devastating war in Gaza. Authorities argued at the time that the systems used by the Spanish forces were obsolete and should be replaced for up-to-date versions like those used by allied armies.

Spain's leftist government says it stopped exporting arms to Israel as of Oct. 2, 2023, but there were reports some shipments slipped through.

United States late last year opened an investigation into whether NATO ally Spain denied port entry to at least three cargo vessels reportedly transporting US weapons to Israel.

Spain formally recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024 in a coordinated effort with Norway and Ireland. A month later, Spain became the first European country to ask the top United Nations court, the International Court of Justice, permission to join a case mounted by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza. Israel strongly denies the charge.