Germany gave yesterday the green light in Israel to use two Heron TP unmanned aerial vehicles, which are capable of carrying weapons, as the Israeli military carries out retaliatory operations against Hamas following its unprecedented attack on Saturday and is reportedly planning a ground operation in the Gaza Strip , it reported German Ministry of Defense.

According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, the Israeli Air Force asked Berlin over the weekend to make available the two Israeli-made UAVs (IAI) as part of its operations against the Palestinian Islamic Movement in the coastal enclave.

The Bundeswehr is leasing “five drones of this type, which are mainly used for training German military personnel” in Israel, the ministry explained.

According to Spiegel, Israel suspended the training of 16 German pilots in Israel over the weekend because of the Hamas attack. They are expected to return to Germany soon.

The acquisition of equipment to carry weapons for these aircraft was approved last year by Berlin, after years of debate on the issue in the country.

Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, said on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defense ministers earlier yesterday that if the situation worsens Israel may seek the cooperation of its allies and partners. However, he hastened to clarify that Israeli officials assure that “they do not need support of a military or technical nature.”