Germany's Chancellor Praises Israel's "Dirty Work" in Iran: DW Reports

Germany's chancellor defended Israel's attacks on Iran, saying it was 'dirty work Israel is doing for all of us' US President Donald Trump says he wants a "real end" to the conflict, rather than a ceasefire Israel's defense minister has issued a warning to Iran's supreme leader The IAEA says Israeli strikes have directly hit enrichment halls at the Natanz nuclear complex Israel has reported a fresh wave of Iranian missiles

Below is a roundup of the latest developments on the Israel-Iran conflict and the wider crisis in the Middle East on Tuesday, June 17, 2025:

Germany's Merz says Israel 'doing dirty work for all of us' in Iran

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed respect for Israel's attack on Iran, calling it a service to Western allies.

"This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us," Merz said Tuesday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF.

"We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world," he added.

"I can only say: the greatest respect for the fact that the Israeli army and the Israeli leadership had the courage to do this."

Merz said Israel's attacks on Iran could lead to the downfall of the Islamic Republic's leadership.

"I assume that the attacks of the last few days have already weakened the mullah regime considerably and that it is unlikely to return to its former strength, making the future of the country uncertain," Merz said in an interview with Germany's Welt TV at the G7 summit in Canada.

Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in attacks that Israel initially said targeted military officials and nuclear scientists.

Israel says 24 civilians had been killed in Iranian attacks on its territory.

Germany has remained one of Israel's biggest supporters, going so far as to intervene on behalf of Israel in South Africa's accusation of genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Iran fires fresh strikes, Israel intercepts 'most missiles'

Israel activated its alerts late on Tuesday, saying that Iran had launched a new wave of missiles.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on X that several missiles had been launched at Israel, saying that "most" were intercepted.

Israelis were told they were allowed to exit the protected areas, indicating that the attack was over.

Israel's strike on Iran's Natanz hit uranium enrichment plant, IAEA says

An Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear complex at Natanz has directly impacted its underground uranium enrichment halls, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.

Revising an earlier report where it said the underground plant was only hit indirectly, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its updates were "based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks."

"The IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz," the UN watchdog said, adding that there was "no change to report" at Iran's other plants in Isfahan and Fordow.

On Tuesday, Iranian media reported several blasts in Isfahan.

Meanwhile, Qatar on Tuesday said it was "monitoring" radiation levels in the Gulf on a daily basis amid the Israeli strikes, condemning the Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities as an "uncalculated step that will have dire repercussions."

"The international community has to make it very clear that any targeting of nuclear facilities, any targeting of fuel or energy facilities in this region, would have ramifications that are unknown to us in the Gulf," Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told a news conference.

"We have to emphasize, when we are talking about the waters of the Gulf, it's the main source of water for all of us here in the region," he added.

Ansari said Doha was among many countries in the region exerting efforts to "reach calm that spares the region the repercussions of this dangerous escalation of the Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Germany offers help for its citizens wishing to leave Israel

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has assured all German nationals in Israel that they will be supported if they wish to leave the country.

"We want to ensure that everyone who decides to leave Israel by land and return to Germany is able to do so," Wadephul told broadcaster Welt TV in response to the latest escalation in the Middle East.

"The situation is dangerous," he added, though he noted that for many, "it may be more reasonable to stay at home."

According to the German government, several thousand German citizens are currently in Israel. The Federal Foreign Office said on Monday that nearly 4,000 people had registered on Germany's crisis preparedness list, Elefand, for Israel.

Wadephul stressed that shelters are available in Israel, but added: "For those who can leave the country, we want to provide appropriate assistance. Whatever we can do for our citizens, we are doing."

He also emphasized concerns for German embassy staff: "I must, of course, also take care of our embassy personnel. We have considerable concerns there as well."

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that evacuation by air was currently not possible due to the continued closure of airspace over Israel and neighboring countries. Israeli security authorities are also advising against using land routes to exit the country.

Read more on the top stories from Germany in our separate blog.

What are Trump's options in dealing with the Israel-Iran conflict?

On Monday evening, the White House said President Donald Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early to focus on the Israel-Iran conflict.

Although Trump denied reports he was trying to work on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, he did end up signing a G7 statement urging that the "resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities."

The News Pulsespoke with Catherine Clüver Ashbrook, a political analyst at the Bertelsmann Foundation in Berlin, about Trump's options for dealing with the Iran-Israel conflict.

"If you take the president at his original first word, he really does still want to pursue a diplomatic solution," Ashbrook said.

After Israel launched strikes on Friday, Trump had said that Iran should make a "deal" before it's "too late."

Ashbrook added that Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is still preparing for talks with Iranian leaders on how to "take the Iranian nuclear program off the table."

The US and Iran had been pursing nuclear talks in the run-up to Israel's attacks.

"It's a difficult situation for the Americans right now with the [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu government having taken the position as quickly as it did. The Americans really need to weigh their options very carefully," she added.

Ashbrook said that Trump has "played with the idea" of providing B2 bomber support to Israel , which would potentially allow the use of bunker-busting bombs needed to destroy Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

However, she added, this could be part of a larger "carrot-and-stick" strategy.

"The idea is that you would pursue a double track approach where you keep the pursuit of a military threat in the back deck of your playing cards, but that you push first for the Iranians to come to the table, see what they might have on offer," she said.

"The question right now is [Israel's campaign] just dismantling Iranian nuclear bomb production capacity, or is, in fact, regime change in the offing?"

"That would mean long-term engagement by the Americans in the region, something that this administration expressly didn't want to be doing," Ashbrook said.

Israel opens inquiry after dozens reported killed near another GHF aid site

The Israeli military says it has opened an investigation after dozens of Palestinians were reportedly killed while waiting near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution point.

The health authority in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, said more than 50 people were killed and around 200 injured near the city of Khan Younis. Few details were provided, and the figures could not be independently verified.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that troops had been operating near an aid truck in the area and said it was reviewing the incident.

"The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd's approach," it said. "The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimise harm as much as possible to them while maintaining the safety of our troops." The actions of the IDF cannot be independently verified either.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also commented on the reported incident — the latest in a series of deadly events in which large numbers of Palestinians have been killed while gathering to receive desperately needed aid from the new US-backed GHF.

Thanos Gargavanis, a WHO trauma surgeon and emergency officer, said the injuries were part of a pattern. "This is again the result of another food distribution initiative," he said, adding that recent trauma cases in the territory were largely gunshot wounds.

Gargavanis noted a disturbing trend at four sites operated by the GHF.

"There's a constant correlation with the positions of the four announced food distribution sites and the mass casualty incidents," he said. Gaza authorities say hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to reach the GHF's sites in recent weeks.

Israeli defense minister issues dark warning to Iran's Khamenei

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday, that he could suffer a "similar" fate to that of late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and launch missiles toward Israeli civilians," Katz was quoted by his office as saying during a meeting with Israeli military and security service commanders.

"He should remember what happened to the dictator in the neighboring country to Iran who took the same path against Israel."

Saddam was toppled from power in a US-led invasion in 2003, before being captured and executed by Iraqi authorities. His government fired missiles at Israel during the 1991 Gulf War, and he was accused of running a secret nuclear weapons program.

The aftermath of the toppling of Saddam is widely seen as a failure of US foreign policy, with the country falling into a yearslong period of violence and unrest, culminating in the rise of the so-called "Islamic State."

Israel's attacks on Iran pose global threat, Jordan's king tells EU parliament

Israel's regional offensives, which now have been extended to Iran, have given the conflict situation in the Middle East wider global relevance, Jordan's King Abdullah told European Parliament lawmakers on Tuesday.

The action taken by Israel against its regional archenemy threatened "a dangerous escalation of tensions in my region and beyond," Abdullah said.

"With Israel's expansion of its offensive to include Iran, there is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end," he said.

"And that, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere," he added. "Ultimately, this conflict must end."

Trump says he wants a 'complete give-up' by Iran

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wanted a "real end" to the conflict between Israel and Iran, and not just a ceasefire, in remarks made in seeming response to a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said the US had initiated a ceasefire proposal.

"I'm not looking for a ceasefire; we're looking at better than a ceasefire," Trump told reporters shortly after arriving back in the US from a G7 summit in Canada.

The president added that he wanted a "complete give-up" by Iran.

He also rejected the idea that he was seeking peace talks to resolve the Israel-Iran conflict.

"I have not reached out to Iran for 'peace talks' in any way, shape, or form. This is just more HIGHLY FABRICATED, FAKE NEWS! If they want to talk, they know how to reach me. They should have taken the deal that was on the table — would have saved a lot of lives!!!," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

His remarks come amid the recent repositioning of US warships and military aircraft in the region. Any further active US participation would, however, contradict promises made by Trump on the campaign trail last year to keep the US out of foreign wars.

Iran warns Israel of more imminent 'massive attacks'

A wave of so-called kamikaze drone attacks by Iran on Israel on Tuesday will soon be stepped up even further, a senior Iranian army commander has said.

General Kiumars Heydari claimed that tens of drones had successfully hit targets in Israel.

"The enemy should know that a new wave of massive attacks by the [Iranian] armed forces ... with new and advanced weapons has begun and will intensify in the coming hours," the state-run news agency IRNA quoted Heydari as saying.

Heydari, who commands Iran's ground forces, claimed that Iranian drones had already successfully hit several targets in Israel.

China accuses Trump of 'pouring oil' on Israel-Iran conflict

China on Tuesday accused US President Donald Trump of "fanning the flames" of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel with his remarks.

Trump on Monday warned residents of the Iranian capital, Tehran, to "immediately evacuate" in a posting on his Truth Social platform, echoing a similar warning from Israel earlier to evacuate a northern district of the city.

Asked about Trump's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: "Fanning the flames, pouring oil, making threats and mounting pressure will not help to promote the de-escalation of the situation, but will only intensify and widen the conflict."

"The Chinese side calls on all relevant parties, especially countries with special influence on Israel, to shoulder their responsibilities, take immediate measures to de-escalate tensions, and prevent the conflictfrom expanding and spreading," he said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Israel on Tuesday also urged its citizens to leave the country "as soon as possible," warning that "[much] civilian infrastructure has been damaged, civilian casualties are on the rise, and the security situation is becoming more serious."

Israeli strikes kill dozens of Palestinians near Gaza aid distribution center

At least 45 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed and hundreds injured by Israeli forces while people were heading for an aid distribution site in Khan Younis, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry and a local hospital.

Israel's army has not yet commented on the incident.

Gaza civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal, who gave a higher death toll of at least 47, told the AFP news agency: "Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded."

Eyewitnesses told Germany's dpa news agency that the Israeli army had carried out shelling as people were on their way on foot or by car to the distribution center between the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is supported by Israel and the US, began distributing aid last month after an almost three-month-long Israeli blockade of humanitarian supplies.

The foundation is meant to provide an alternative to humanitarian assistance from the UN and NGOs, which Israel claims has been misappropriated by Hamas militants in the past.

Palestinians have been reported killed near the distribution centers on several occasions.

UN agencies and major aid groups deny that their aid is being diverted to any significant extent and have rejected the creation of the GHF, saying the aid they provide is inadequate and that the system improperly allows Israel to control who has access to assistance.

Explosions heard across Israel amid 'rain of missiles' from Iran

Air raid sirens sounded in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv after midnight and again early in the morning on Tuesday, while there were reports of explosions over Jerusalem and missile attacks in other parts of the country, including Herzliya.

Israeli state radio has described a "rain of missiles" from Iran targeting the country.

Later on Tuesday morning, the Israeli military lifted an instruction to the population to remain in shelters, after first issuing warnings of ongoing attacks.

"A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel," the military said in a statement early in the day.

It added that the air force was "operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat."

The Israeli police said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that "missiles and shrapnel fell in the Tel Aviv area, causing material damage but no injuries."

At least 3 reported killed in Israeli strike on Iranian state television headquarters

Iran's state-run TV broadcaster IRIB said on Tuesday that three of its staff were killed when an Israeli strike hit its headquarters in a residential district of Tehran on Monday.

"Three of the TV station's employees were killed and others were wounded in the Israeli attack" on Monday, the channel announced, without saying how many were hospitalized.

Iranian media said the news editor Nima Rajabpour and an administrative worker, Masoumeh Azimi, were among the three fatalities, but did not name the third.

Rajabpour was reported to have been killed on the spot, while Azimi died in the hospital from the injuries.

The news anchor, Sahar Emami, who Iranian media has praised for her composure at the time of the attack, returned to the studio to resume her presentation after the television station resumed its broadcasts a short time afterward.

Israeli military says it has killed Iran's wartime chief of staff

Israel said on Tuesday that it had killed a high-ranking Iranian military figure whom it has described as Iran's top general.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said General Ali Shadmani, who had just been named as the head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters — part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — had died in a strike on Tehran.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge the reported death, which, if confirmed, would add to a growing list of leading Iranian military figures killed in Israeli strikes.