Israeli soldiers stand near a battery of the Iron Dome missile defense system in southern Israel. AFP
A statement from Netanyahu’s office framed Iran and its allies -- Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen -- as “proxies” threatening Israel and the region.
“The declaration signed today anchors deep cooperation with Germany in the fields of cyber security, counterterrorism and advanced technologies,” the statement said.
“Israel’s enemies should know: our eyes are on them at all times and everywhere,” it added.
The declaration was signed by Netanyahu, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Gaza, and visiting German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.
"I think Germany and Israel are natural partners. We've cooperated on the Arrow III, we've cooperated in many areas," Netanyahu said in a separate statement.
The initiative formalises a broad security partnership between the security apparatuses of both countries, the statement said.
Despite casting Iran as a threat, Israel currently occupies territory in neighbouring Lebanon and Syria. It has also launched deadly strikes on Iran and Yemen and has been accused of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Last month, Germany approved a $3.1 billion expansion of a contract for the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile defence system, which is Israeli-made and developed with US support.
The deal, originally signed in 2023, is now worth approximately $6.5 billion. Israel says it is the country's largest-ever military export contract.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar held talks with Dobrindt, during which he urged the European Union to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist organisation”.
The call forms part of a long-running Israeli effort to weaken the Iranian state and threaten the survival of its ruling system.
During a 12-day war in June, Israel carried out strikes on Iran, with the United States later joining in attacks of its own, killing nearly 1,100 people, according to Iranian authorities. The strikes hit densely populated residential areas as well as military and nuclear infrastructure.
The remarks come as Iran faces deadly unrest at home, initially driven by economic grievances but unfolding amid escalating US and Israeli threats and actions aimed at overthrowing the country’s theocratic government.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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