In early June, it was reported that Israel was prepared to sell the earlier versions of their main Merkava battle tanks. Two countries, one of which is European, will receive a large quantity of the tanks.

According to a recent Haaretz report, Cyprus is the European country that will receive over a hundred Merkava main battle tanks. The proposed sale of the main battle tanks from Tel Aviv to Nicosia is very opportunistic as Cyprus and Israel look to enhance their military capabilities.

What is Merkava?

The Merkava is the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ‘s main battle tank. Developed domestically, most of the tank’s components rely on the Israeli defense industry, which mitigates bureaucratic practices of requesting permission for vital technological imports for the tank.