Germany Voices Support for Israel’s Lebanon Operation, Raises Humanitarian Concerns

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Israel has the right to defend itself while urging restraint and accountability on civilian impacts. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) is accompanied by the Inspector of the Army Christian Freuding (L) during the visit to the German army barracks in Munster, northern Germany, on April 30, 2026. (Photo by DANIEL REINHARDT / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Germany’s foreign minister offered qualified support for Israel’s military operations in southern Lebanon during talks in Berlin with his Israeli counterpart, while sharply criticizing humanitarian conditions in Gaza and what he described as a “de facto annexation” of parts of the West Bank, AFP reported. On Tuesday, after meeting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul reaffirmed Berlin’s strong backing for Israel’s security but said close alliances do not preclude direct disagreements. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Israel has continued military strikes in Lebanon despite a truce and declared a 10-kilometer (six-mile) exclusion zone along the border, an area off‑limits to residents and the media. Saar defended the operations, arguing that Israel must dismantle Hezbollah and other militant groups that have carried out attacks against Israeli territory. At the same time, Saar said he assured Wadephul that Israel has “no territorial ambitions in Lebanon.” “Our presence in the areas by our northern border has one goal: to protect our citizens,” Saar said. Wadephul endorsed Israel’s security rationale, calling the operation “necessary” and saying Israel had the right to defend itself. “There’s every right for Israel to be there,” he said. However, the German minister warned against the impact on civilians, saying “Lebanon must not be allowed to become a theatre of war where it is the civilians who pay the price.” Other Topics of Interest Zelensky Proposes Drone Deal in Meeting With Bahrain’s King Kyiv offered to share battlefield drone expertise as the two sides discussed regional security and expanding cooperation. He cautioned that a generation growing up amid destruction would not improve Israel’s long‑term security. Wadephul also strongly condemned Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and said emerging direct talks between Israel and the Lebanese government offered grounds for hope. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli strikes have killed nearly 2,700 people and injured more than 8,200 since early March, when Hezbollah escalated hostilities with attacks on Israel. Turning to Gaza, Wadephul said humanitarian access must be urgently improved, adding that stabilizing conditions there would also enhance Israel’s security. Germany also expressed serious concern over Israeli settlement expansion and violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. “We cannot accept a de facto annexation of parts of the West Bank,” Wadephul said. “We unequivocally condemn the violence perpetrated by some settlers in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population. And we expect the Israeli justice system to prosecute these crimes.” Despite the criticism, Wadephul praised German‑Israeli cooperation, particularly in defense and technology , underscoring Berlin’s longstanding support for Israel, rooted in Germany’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust.