German foreign policy expert call on Berlin to join coalition to protect Israel against Iran

The Christian Democratic Union's foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter called on the German government to join the US-led coalition to protest Israel from an attack by Iran and its proxies, Spiegel reported on Sunday. 

Iran has said it plans to attack Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh - which Israel has neither taken responsibility for nor denied. 

"In view of the looming Iranian attack, the German government must finally wake up and offer Israel military support to defend itself," Kiesewetter told Spiegel. 

"It is conceivable that fighter jets from friendly nations could be refueled, but also that the German army could use its own Eurofighters, for example, to defend against Iranian drones," added the former German army officer.

Given Germany’s participation in joint exercises with Israel in the past, its aircraft array and its previous works in the Middle East, Spiegel described Germany’s participation in the coalition as “certainly conceivable.”

Defending against Iran but not attacking the regime

Kiesewetter asserted that Germany’s role would be limited to defending Israeli civilians, and would not extend to an offensive against Iran or its terror proxies. 

"If Israel's security is really a German matter of state, the federal government, and in particular the Federal Chancellery, must finally pursue realpolitik instead of continuing to nurture romantic hopes," said the foreign policy expert. "That is why the federal government should not wait until Israel asks it for help, but offer it of its own accord and promote it in the Bundestag (parliament) now."