Berlin (dpa) – The German military, the Bundeswehr, has deployed more than 1,000 soldiers to the Middle East to help with a possible evacuation of German citizens as tensions threaten to escalate.
The majority of soldiers were in Cyprus on standby, security sources told dpa in Berlin. From there, they were ready for immediate deployment if necessary, the army said.
The army noted that it was not possible to foresee how the conflict would develop.
There are fears that the three-week-old war between Israel and Hamas could widen, for example, drawing in Lebanon or Iran.
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Last weekend, the Defence Ministry announced that it would increase its response capability in the region. The deployment served to increase the military’s command and control and planning capabilities for an evacuation option, the ministry said.
Elite special forces of the German Navy’s KSM combat swimmers were also already in Cyprus while army special forces from the KSK unit had been flown to Jordan.
