On Sunday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt voiced his support for Israel during a visit to the site of an Iranian missile strike near Tel Aviv, which is part of the devastation caused by this month's 12-day conflict. This marked the first visit by a senior foreign official since the war between Iran and Israel concluded on Tuesday with a ceasefire. "We must deepen our support for Israel," Dobrindt stated while standing among the ruins in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, where an Iranian strike resulted in the deaths of nine individuals, including three children.
On June 13, Israel initiated a bombing campaign against Iran, claiming it was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons—an assertion that Tehran has consistently denied. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described Dobrindt's visit as a gesture of "solidarity" and called on the international community to reinstate sanctions against Iran. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking on June 17 at a G7 summit in Canada, remarked that Israel was doing the "dirty work... for all of us" by targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
During the 12-day conflict, Israel reported being struck by over 50 missiles, resulting in 28 fatalities, although the full extent of the damage may remain unknown due to strict media restrictions. In Iran, Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed at least 627 civilians and injured nearly 4,900, according to official statistics.
