Germany and Israel have conducted their first joint training exercise to defend against a major cyberattack. As the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday, the exercise, named “Blue Horizon,” was the first concrete step toward implementing the cyber and security pact agreed upon between the two countries in January.

“With the first joint cyber defense exercise, we are putting the cybersecurity package into practical effect,” declared Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). “We are strengthening our ability to defend against severe cyberattacks.” Germany and Israel stand “side by side for strong, secure defense systems.”

At the heart of the cooperation is the development of a German “Cyberdome,” modeled after the existing Israeli defense system. According to Israeli sources, this is a defense system that consolidates various data sources and uses artificial intelligence to identify vulnerabilities and threats on the network. This enables organizations to receive early warnings of potential hacker attacks.

During the exercise, experts from the Israeli National Cyber Directorate worked together with German cyber specialists from various agencies and organizations. The goal is to “get to know each other better, align processes, and develop a common language for emergency situations,” according to the Interior Ministry. This is intended to improve and accelerate response capabilities to cyber attacks

The underlying pact was signed on January 11 in Jerusalem by Dobrindt and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Among other things, it provides for close networking between the security agencies of both countries as well as intensified cooperation in the areas of cybercrime, artificial intelligence, and drone defense.

The agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding from December 9, 2025, which was signed by the Director General of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, Yossi Karadi, and the head of the Cyber Division at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Friederike Dahns. The focus areas include developing the next generation of the Cyber Dome, establishing a joint cyber excellence center, and conducting joint exercises in cybersecurity and AI.​

Israel is considered a pioneer in the field of cybersecurity. The country regularly faces cyberattacks that are often attributed to Iran and aimed at sabotaging Israel’s infrastructure, collecting data, and spreading disinformation