Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt unveils civil-defense-focused plan in Tel Aviv visit, as Berlin sharpens its digital shield alongside Mossad
Germany wants more than just boots and tanks in its defense playbook—it wants a firewall. And it’s looking to Israel to help build it.
During a high-stakes visit to Israel just two weeks after the country was rocked by Iranian missile strikes, Germany’s newly appointed Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt laid out an ambitious plan to deepen cooperation with one of Berlin’s most trusted defense partners.
This time, though, it’s not about fighter jets or troop deployments.
It’s about cyber defense.
Dobrindt’s Five-Point Plan Aims at a Digital Fortress
Standing alongside Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar amid the broken bricks and dust of Bat Yam—where an Iranian missile recently killed nine people—Dobrindt delivered a message that sounded less like a diplomatic pitch and more like a security imperative.
“Military defense alone is not sufficient,” he said bluntly. “A significant upgrade in civil defense is also essential.”
His five-point initiative includes the creation of a joint German-Israeli cyber research center, greater intelligence sharing—particularly with Mossad—and cooperative simulation drills for large-scale cyberattacks. The idea: If Berlin wants to protect its power grids, hospitals, and data centers from the kind of attacks NATO is bracing for, Israel is the partner that makes the most sense.
That’s not just talk. Germany’s government already sees Israel as a living test case for real-time resilience, especially after enduring simultaneous drone and missile barrages from Iran just weeks earlier.
Why Israel? Berlin Thinks the Proof Is in the Rubble
Israel’s battered infrastructure in cities like Bat Yam has turned into something of a case study for European nations waking up to their own digital vulnerabilities.
And let’s be honest: Germany isn’t exactly coming from a place of tech swagger. After years of scandals involving outdated federal networks and poor cybersecurity at the municipal level, Berlin is under pressure—fast.
Inside Israel, meanwhile, agencies like Unit 8200 (Israel’s elite cyber-intelligence corps) and Mossad have spent decades turning a small country into a digital fortress. From intercepting Iranian malware to disrupting Hezbollah logistics in Lebanon, Israel’s cyber toolbox isn’t just advanced—it’s proven.
Dobrindt knows that. And so do Germany’s spymasters.
The Political Winds Have Shifted Sharply in Berlin
Dobrindt’s trip is also symbolic for another reason. It marks the first senior foreign visit to Israel since the end of the Israel-Iran war—and comes just weeks into Friedrich Merz’s new tenure as Germany’s chancellor.
The new conservative-led government has signaled it wants to double down on defense spending, reassert Berlin’s role within NATO, and, critically, move faster on technology partnerships.
In the past, cybersecurity was often buried under military procurement deals. But that’s changed. The war in Ukraine made Germany nervous. So did recent cyberattacks on German hospitals and government agencies that the BSI (Federal Office for Information Security) attributed to Russian-linked groups.
So now? There’s no question. Cyber is the next frontier.
Real Cooperation or Just PR? Signs Point to Action
There’s often skepticism about how far these types of partnerships really go. But behind the diplomatic niceties, officials from both sides are already hammering out logistics.
• A cybersecurity lab in Tel Aviv is expected to open by Q4 2025, jointly staffed by German and Israeli experts.
• Mossad and Germany’s BND intelligence service are piloting a new AI-assisted data tracking tool to detect hostile cyber intrusions—already tested in drills earlier this year.
• Berlin plans to invite Israeli officials to join NATO’s upcoming cyber-readiness summit in Brussels this fall.
That’s a lot of momentum for a partnership that, until now, was largely symbolic.
The Human Cost Behind Cyber Urgency
It’s easy to get lost in the buzzwords: “hybrid warfare,” “quantum encryption,” “AI reconnaissance.” But for both Dobrindt and Sa’ar, the grim backdrop of their meeting—shattered buildings, children’s shoes in the rubble—kept things painfully grounded.
Israel is still mourning the June 14-15 missile barrage that left nearly a dozen dead and hundreds injured. Many had no warning. Iran’s missile that landed in Bat Yam wasn’t just a military strike—it was a gut punch to civilians, to the very idea of safety in everyday life.
Dobrindt, visibly moved during his visit, pointed to that reality as the reason why Germany can’t afford to fall behind.
“We must deepen our support for Israel,” he said quietly, “and learn what we must to protect our people.”
A Mutual Need in an Uncertain World
The geopolitical logic of all this is crystal clear.
Germany sees Israel as its front line—not just against terrorism or hostile states, but against the invisible war playing out in code and signals. Meanwhile, Israel gets a powerful European ally eager to push back against Iranian and Russian influence, both physically and digitally.
This isn’t just goodwill. It’s strategy.
And as both nations stare down threats that care little for borders or treaties, it’s becoming harder to tell where one nation’s cyber defense ends and the other begins.
