TEL AVIV Ñ Israel has received two PAC-2 missile defense batteries
from Germany.
The PAC-2 batteries were unloaded from the German ship Brake on Monday
from the southern port of Ashdod. Last month, Israel signed an agreement
with Germany for the lease of the two PAC-2 batteries until 2005.
Officials said the batteries would contain 128 PAC-2 interceptors. They
said the batteries and interceptors would be soon deployed to protect
strategic facilities around Israel.
The Israel Air Force's air defense command would be responsible for the
PAC-2 batteries. Officials said air defense command personnel would operate
the batteries.
"Over the next few days, the batteries will be fielded in the areas
determined by the Israel Defense Forces for the air defense command," a
Defense Ministry statement said. "Thus, they will provide an improved
solution, especially in light of the expected U.S. attack on Iraq."
Officials said the military doubts whether it will be able to complete
deployment of the German PAC-2 batteries by the time the United States
launches a war against Iraq. They said three PAC-2 batteries brought by the
United States for a joint missile defense exercise concluded last week
remain in Israel. The batteries were to have been taken out of the country
for other areas of the Middle East.
Germany has denied an Israeli request for armored personnel carriers
that could protect troops from a nonconventional weapons attack. German
parliamentarians raised the prospect that the APCs could be used in the war
against the Palestinian Authority.
Berlin has also suspended its participation in a project to develop a
remote-sensing satellite. Israeli officials confirmed that Germany has ended
its support to David satellite program, launched in 1995, amid complaints in
Berlin's parliament that this could be used by Israel for military
espionage.
