The German Foreign Ministry called on the country’s citizens to leave Iran amid growing tensions in the Middle East.
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“Together with our partners, we are now doing everything possible to prevent the situation in the Near and Middle East from escalating through diplomatic channels. German citizens in the region should pay attention to our safety instructions. There is a travel warning for Iran, Israel and Palestinian territories, and for Iran there is also a demand for the Germans to leave the country,” the German Foreign Ministry page said on the social network X.
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German embassies in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries are reported to have taken precautionary measures.
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On the evening of April 1, an Israeli airstrike occurred on the building of the Iranian Consulate General in the Syrian capital Damascus, as reported by the Syrian Ministry of Defense. The consulate building also housed the residence of Iranian Ambassador Hossein Akbari – the latter was not injured during the attack. According to a statement by the Syrian defense ministry, the consulate building was completely destroyed as a result of a missile attack.
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According to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (an elite force of the armed forces), the Israeli strike killed seven IRGC officers, including two senior general advisers: Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the IRGC Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, as well as his deputy, Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.
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The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that it reserves the right to respond to the Israeli airstrike on the Consulate General in Damascus, as well as to determine exactly how to “punish the aggressor.” On Wednesday, Elaph reported that Israel is preparing to strike targets inside Iran if Tehran responds to the attack on its consulate in Damascus with attacks on Israeli targets.
