(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Thursday, 20May 2021), at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and showed him an Iranian UAV that had been downed in the Beit Shean area.
Prime Minister Netanyahu:
“I just had a very productive meeting with Minister Maas from Germany. I expressed our appreciation for the unwavering position of Germany in supporting our right of self-defense and it comes from the heart. Not only representing the government but the people of Israel in our time of need. So thank you.
“I described during our meeting that while we're fighting on various fronts, the true backer of much of this aggression is Iran. Iran not only supports completely the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and gives them all the finance, they also give weapons to Hamas as well as to Hezbollah and they provide the scaffolding on which these organizations really work.
“While we were engaged in these hostilities a few days ago, Iran sent an armed drone from Iraq or from Syria. Iranian forces launched an armed drone, which our forces intercepted on the border between Israel and Jordan and that I think says everything on the true patron of terror in the Middle East and in the world: Iran.
“Thank you. Thank you very much. You've been a great friend and it's said with gratitude from the people of Israel.”
German Foreign Minister Maas told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he had come to express Germany's full solidarity with the people of Israel. He said that Germany condemns the aggression of Hamas, which is responsible for the escalation, and that Israel had the right to defend itself.
Also participating in the meeting were National Security Council head Meir Ben Shabbat, German Ambassador to Israel Dr. Susanne Wasum-Rainer and Israeli Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently meeting with Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok and Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek.