Der Spiegel: Israel notified Germany before striking Iran

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was reportedly informed in advance of Israel’s recent military strike on Iran.

The German magazine Der Spiegel states that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally phoned Chancellor Merz at approximately 2:30 a.m. Central European Time to relay news of the imminent attack, Caliber.Az reports.

The conversation is believed to have taken place just hours before Israeli forces launched their operation.

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes across Iranian territory on June 13. The Israeli Air Force conducted at least five separate raids, targeting multiple locations linked to Iran’s nuclear and military programs.

 According to both Israeli military sources and Iranian reports, dozens of sites were struck in cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Arak, Tabriz, and Kermanshah. The Natanz nuclear site and the Tehran–Isfahan highway were among the strategic locations that suffered significant damage.

The scale of the operation represented one of the most extensive direct assaults on Iran in recent memory, with Israeli missiles hitting over a dozen high-value targets.

The attacks also resulted in the deaths of key Iranian military and scientific leaders. Among the casualties was Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was also killed, a loss that the IRGC officially confirmed.

Additionally, Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s former national security chief, was reported dead, along with several other high-ranking military officers and nuclear scientists.

By Vafa Guliyeva