Germany backs Israel after Iran war in first high-level visit - Region
Germany's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, expressed support for Israel on Sunday during a visit to the site of an Iranian missile strike near Tel Aviv, one of dozens launched in response to Israel's aerial assault on Iran earlier this month.
It was the first visit by a senior foreign official since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which began on 13 June when Israel launched a large-scale bombing campaign and ended last Tuesday after the United States, Israel's main ally, announced a ceasefire.
Israeli authorities claim they targeted only military infrastructure and nuclear facilities. But at least 627 civilians were killed and nearly 4,900 injured in Iran, according to official figures.
The toll includes senior military officials and nuclear scientists targeted in their homes, along with family members, in densely populated areas of Tehran.
Israel reported being hit by more than 50 missiles during the war, with 28 people killed. The government has imposed strict media controls, limiting independent verification of casualties or targets on either side.
'We must deepen our support for Israel,' Dobrindt said in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, where an Iranian strike killed nine people. He spoke while standing in front of rubble from one of the missile impacts.
Israel has claimed the campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran has consistently denied.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar called Dobrindt's visit a gesture of 'solidarity' and urged renewed sanctions on Iran.
He did not address the mounting civilian death toll or growing condemnation of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, where Israeli forces have enforced a two-month siege, blocked aid, and killed civilians at US- and Israeli-coordinated distribution points.
Rights groups and UN officials have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon and targeting civilians with impunity. Several governments and legal experts say the campaign bears the hallmarks of genocide, while the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take all necessary steps to prevent such acts.
On 17 June, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, said Israel was doing the 'dirty work … for all of us' by targeting Iran's nuclear programme. His comment drew criticism from opposition figures and rights groups, who accused him of minimising civilian suffering and endorsing breaches of international law.
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