Germany not to oppose further Eurofighters for Saudi Arabia

Germany is prepared to allow further deliveries of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on January 7.

Berlin halted arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, Reuters reports.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had pushed back against pressure to unblock the delivery of Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia. His coalition partner, the Greens, had firmly opposed the move, pointing to human rights concerns and Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemen war.

"We do not see the German government opposing British considerations for more Eurofighters for Saudi Arabia," Baerbock, a Green politician, told reporters on a trip to Israel.

The Eurofighter project is a joint British, German, Italian and Spanish effort.

"The world, especially here in the Middle East, has become a completely different place since Oct. 7," she said, referring to the date Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel.