Germany summons Iranian ambassador over attack on Israel

BERLIN

Germany summoned on Monday Iran’s ambassador to protest Tehran’s weekend air attack against Israel.

"The meeting is currently taking place," Christian Wagner, a deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told media representatives in Berlin.

The summoning follows Sunday’s phone call between German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian when she urged Tehran to stop its attacks on Israel and take de-escalatory steps in the region.

Baerbock condemned again Saturday’s drone and missile attack on Israel, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

“She called on Iran to immediately cease all violence against Israel, release the container ship MSC Aries and contribute to de-escalation,” the statement added.

Iran on Saturday launched an airborne attack on Israel in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital. It reportedly fired more than 300 drones and missiles, with almost all intercepted by the air defense systems of Israel and its allies – the US, France, and the UK.

Meanwhile, Christiane Hoffmann, a German deputy government spokesperson, reiterated the need for de-escalation between Iran and Israel.