Germany Voices Support for Israel in First High-Level Visit After Iran War
Standing amid the rubble left by the attack, Dobrindt said, “We must deepen our support for Israel,” signaling Berlin’s continued alignment with the Israeli government following one of the most intense rounds of hostilities in recent years.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Germany expressed firm support for Israel on Sunday during the first high-level foreign visit to the country since the end of the recent war with Iran, according to AFP.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt visited the coastal town of Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, where an Iranian missile strike earlier this month killed nine people, including three children. The strike was part of a wider 12-day war between Iran and Israel that concluded last Tuesday with a ceasefire.
Standing amid the rubble left by the attack, Dobrindt said, “We must deepen our support for Israel,” signaling Berlin’s continued alignment with the Israeli government following one of the most intense rounds of hostilities in recent years.
The visit marked the first by a senior foreign official since the conflict began. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed Dobrindt’s presence as a gesture of “solidarity,” and called on the international community to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
The war began on June 13, when Israel launched a bombing campaign targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites. Israeli officials said the campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—an accusation Tehran has consistently denied.
On June 17, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, offered strong backing to Israel, stating that the country was doing the "dirty work... for all of us" by targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
During the conflict, Israel reported being struck by more than 50 Iranian missiles, which resulted in 28 deaths among civilians. However, due to strict media censorship, the full extent of the damage inside Israel remains unclear.
Iran, in turn, reported that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 627, including high-ranking Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists, and other military personnel, and wounded nearly 4,900 others, according to official figures released by Tehran.
The war, though brief, has reignited international concern over the risks of escalation in the region and the fate of Iran's nuclear program. Germany’s visit appears to signal a clear stance in support of Israel, as diplomatic pressure mounts to prevent a return to open hostilities.
