Friedrich Merz

US weighing accelerated troop drawdown in Europe - report

Washington announced plans in May to pull 5,000 troops out of Germany, widely seen as the consequence of a rift over the Iran war between President Donald Trump and European powers.

|ByREUTERS
US Army soldiers carry a simulated casualty into a MEDEVAC vehicle during NATO's Sword 26 exercise, which tests new battlefield evacuation methods using drones and AI-assisted medical technology in Bemowo Piskie, Poland, May 11, 2026.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz with Berlin's Chabad rabbi, Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, at Berlin's synagogue.

Germany's Merz visits Berlin's Chabad brass with officials in solidarity with rising antisemitism

The visit, which also included the President of the Bundestag (German parliament), Julia Klöckner, represents the highest meeting between German officials and the Jewish community in recent years.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
US Army Brig. Gen. Curtis King, commanding general of 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command speaks with Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, April 30 in Ansbach, Germany.

US withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, US officials say

The Pentagon said the withdrawal was expected to be completed over the next six to 12 months. Germany is home to some 35,000 active-duty US military personnel, more than anywhere else in Europe.

|ByREUTERS
The German flag featuring the Federal Eagle and the US flag are pictured at the German Navy base in Kiel, Germany, April 23, 2026.

US reviewing potential reduction of troops in Germany, says Trump

Trump's post came hours after Germany's top general met with US defense officials to discuss the country's first military strategy outside of NATO since World War II.

|ByREUTERS

Merz: 'Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us by striking Iran, lacks necessary weapons'

German Chancellor Merz has praised Israel for doing the 'dirty work' for everyone, but said that Israel also lacked the necessary weapons.

JUNE 17, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz attends a press conference following the German general election in Berlin, Germany, February 24, 2025.