Escalation in the Middle East: CDU politician plans Israeli missile shield for Berlin

The plan went like this: CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Stettner, along with several party colleagues, planned to travel to the Israeli metropolis of Tel Aviv on Monday for several days. There, he planned to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the military to discuss improved protection for the German capital, Berlin. The discussion was also supposed to focus on Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system against air strikes. Now Stettner has canceled the trip for security reasons.

The final decision was made on Friday afternoon. In response to an Israeli attack on Iran and the reactions from there, Israel closed its embassies around the world, including the one in Berlin. Civil airspace in Israel itself was closed. At Berlin Airport (BER), flights to Tel Aviv were canceled on Friday and Saturday.

Iron Dome: Does Berlin need a missile defense shield like Israel?

In recent days, it became known that Stettner envisions a missile defense system for the capital modeled on Israel's. "We must invest in the protection and security of Berliners in the face of Russian aggression," he said. "The Israeli 'Iron Dome' protective shield would be one possibility." Berlin will have to discuss this with the federal government.

One reason for these considerations, as well as the travel plans, are negotiations on a new capital city agreement. This agreement between the federal government and Berlin regulates the financing of capital-related tasks in the city, such as cultural activities and security. The current agreement expires after ten years at the end of 2027 and must therefore be renegotiated soon.

Capital City Treaty: Federal government should provide more money for Berlin's security

The Iron Dome defense system has been in operation in Israel since 2011. It is designed to protect the country from short-range missile attacks and is part of a multi-layered defense system that also includes interceptor weapons for protection against medium- and long-range missiles. A radar system detects an incoming missile and transmits the information to a rocket launcher, which launches an interceptor missile. According to Israeli sources, the hit rate is around 90 percent.

In Iran's first counterattack against Israel's attacks on Friday, the system once again proved extremely successful. According to Israeli sources, all Iranian missiles were shot down.