A German magazine claims that the tanks that Israel wishes to export to Germany are intended not for the German military but for the Ukrainian military.
"If the deal goes through, the tanks will be quickly transferred. In Israel, there are over 1000 models of this kind, and there are a lot of indications that the tanks are meant for Ukraine. They are too old to fit a modern army in the future. Heavy battle tanks like the Merkava are not fit for a third-world military," the magazine states.
It should be noted that the Defense Ministry has not yet signed the deal, which may include a clause prohibiting the transfer or sale of the tanks to a third party.
On Thursday, it was first reported that the Merkava tank, which Israel developed following the Yom Kippur War, will be sold for the first time to foreign nations, the first of which is Germany. The tanks that will be sold are the Merkava Mk 2 and Mk 3, while the IDF uses the newer, more advanced Mk 4.