German Chancellor Friedrich Merz landed in Israel on Saturday night for his first-ever official visit. The visit marks a renewed warming in relations between the two countries, after the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile defense system launch ceremony held last week. However, while the political scene is warming up, German freight airlines Lufthansa Cargo has announced the imposition of an arms embargo on Israel, “Globes” has learned.
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“We would like to inform you that, in accordance with an internal decision by the company, an embargo on all military and security cargo has been imposed on Tel Aviv, with immediate effect until further notice,” the German company has informed international freight forwarders. “We will update you as soon as further information becomes available.”
Lufthansa Cargo resumed full cargo flights to Israel on August 1, with seven weekly flights: three using Boeing 777s and four using Airbus 321s. The Lufthansa Group had stopped its flights to Israel at the beginning of June and postponed its planned return due to the operation against Iran. The group resumed flights on August 1 from Frankfurt, and has subsequently gradually returned to normal operations.
This month, Lufthansa Group is expanding activity and increasing the number of weekly flights to Israel from 64 to 74. Lufthansa itself operates about 21 weekly flights from Frankfurt and about 14 from Munich, alongside subsidiaries including Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, ITA and Eurowings.
A company spokesperson said: “Lufthansa Cargo fully complies with all relevant laws and regulations. Following a British export control directive and relevant sanctions, transporting military equipment and components to and from Tel Aviv is currently impossible for Lufthansa Cargo, regardless of the route. We are working to find a solution that will allow individual shipments.”
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on December 7, 2025.
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