Israel is doing the 'dirty work' for all of us, German chancellor says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed his gratitude towards Israel doing what he calls "the dirty work" for all of them through its bombardment of Iran.
Talking to German broadcaster ZDF on the sidelines of the G7 summit, he says: "I can only say I have the greatest respect for the fact that the Israeli army and the Israeli government had the courage to do this."
He says the Iranian leadership has "brought death and destruction to the world with attacks, with murder and manslaughter, with Hezbollah, with Hamas", but adds that if they are to return to the negotiating table, "there would be no need for further military interventions".
If not, Merz warns that the "complete destruction" of Iran's nuclear programme could be on the agenda. He says that while he assumes the programme is "largely over", Israel lacks the weapons necessary to completely destroy it, but the US does.
In a separate interview with Germany's Welt TV news channel, he says Iran's leadership had been "weakened" by Israel's attacks, and "will probably not return to its former strength, making the future of the country uncertain".
