German foreign minister travels to Israel as conflict roils region

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is travelling to Israel later Tuesday following the major Iranian attack on the country.

"Nobody should add fuel to the fire now," she said at a meeting with her Jordanian counterpart Ayman al-Safadi in Berlin.

This applies above all to Iran and its proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthi in Yemen, Baerbock said.

With regard to Israel, she said that anyone who doubted that the country could defend itself against massive missile attacks had miscalculated.

"Israel's defenses are strong and successful. And Israel's allies stand firmly by its side, ready to act when it matters," Baerbock said.

Everyone must work together to contribute to de-escalation for the entire region, she added.

Al-Safadi said of his country's defense against Iranian drones and missiles attacking Israel: "We do not want Jordan to be endangered any more. This is a clear message that we are sending to everyone" - to Iran, but also to Israel. Jordan lies between the two countries.

Fears of a conflagration in the Middle East are growing following the major Iranian attack on Saturday, in which hundreds of drones and missiles were fired towards Israel. The aerial assault was largely repelled.

Iran presented the attack as a retaliatory strike for Israel's killing of high-ranking Iranian officers in Syria.

Two Iranian advisors and five members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were said to have been killed in the strike on the consulate building in Damascus on April 1.

Israel's military leadership says it does not intend to leave the Iranian attack unanswered. Netanyahu has threatened retaliation, but said it would be done "wisely" in order to make Iran "nervous."

Baerbock will hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz on Wednesday, according to a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Office.

From Wednesday evening she will take part in the meeting of G7 foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri.

Baerbock made it clear on Monday that she is counting on Israel to comply with international law in the event of a response.

"The right to self-defence means defending against an attack. Retaliation is not a category under international law," the Green politician said when asked whether Israel had the right to retaliate.

This is Baerbock's seventh trip to Israel since the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas and other groups on October 7.