Germany reaches deal with US to buy long-range Tomahawk missiles, Merz says

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Germany reaches deal with US to buy long-range Tomahawk missiles, Merz says

2026-07-09 21:29 Last Updated At：21:31

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has struck a deal with the United States to buy American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and station them in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Thursday.

The German leader said the agreement on the long-range missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, was reached this week on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey's capital, Ankara.

“This will close an important strategic gap in our defense, and at the same time, we will work to develop our own European systems and station them in Europe,” Merz told parliament after returning from the two-day summit.

The deal struck with the Trump administration amounts to broader export of American know-how to some of its major allies in Europe, whose security posture has been upended by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defense systems to counter missile attacks from Russia — a huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology.

The Tomahawk cruise missile has been in the U.S. military’s inventory since the 1980s. While slow by missile standards, the cruise missile flies around 100 feet (about 30 meters) off the ground, making it harder to detect by defense systems.

The missile boasts an impressive range of around 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) and precision guidance systems that make it the go-to weapon for striking targets that are deep inland or in hostile territory.

Ebola death toll in Congo reaches 600, as new cases suspected in previously unaffected provinces

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — New suspected cases of Ebola have been reported in parts of Congo that were previously unaffected, the government said Thursday, as the death toll in the country's latest Ebola outbreak reached 600.

According to the Congolese health ministry, suspected cases have now been recorded in the provinces of Tshopo and Haut-Uele, signaling the continued spread of the disease beyond the epicenter in Ituri.

A Congolese government report, published late Wednesday, said two new cases were suspected in Kisangani, in Tshopo province. The minister did not say how many cases were suspected in Haut-Uele. The total number of confirmed cases across the country has now reached 1,759.

According to the report, one of the two suspected cases in Tshopo was linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported, while the other case “has no apparent geographical connection to known outbreaks.” Authorities were investigating.

The Congolese authorities declared a fresh Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the disease had been transmitted for weeks without official detection, according to the World Health Organization. The latest outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Last week, clinical trials for treatment began after researchers launched a highly anticipated study in the hope of fighting the virus.

Efforts to contain the virus have also been hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, and an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.

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Justin Kabumba reported from Goma, Congo.