Over 500 German troops in Middle East, Defence Ministry confirms

More than 500 German troops are stationed in the Middle East, the Defence Ministry said on Monday, amid a regional escalation following US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The soldiers are all well and in protected accommodation or positions, a ministry spokesman said in Berlin.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is due to consult with units in the region on Monday in a conference call to be briefed on the situation after the US-Israeli strikes on Saturday.

German units in the region are stationed at multinational bases, meaning either the host country or the base leaders are reponsible for all defensive measures, the spokesman further said.

The personnel from the Bundeswehr, Germany's military, was "not the immediate target" of retaliatory Iranian attacks on the bases, he added.

According to the Defence Ministry, more than 200 soldiers are still deployed in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.

In addition, the Bundeswehr is providing liaison personnel in Kuwait and Qatar for the mission in Iraq, as well as further soldiers to support the EU's Aspides naval operation in the Red Sea.

The Nordrhein-Westfalen frigate, which is on a UN mission, is currently off Cyprus. 

Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius made it clear that Germany is prepared to protect its own soldiers, but is not participating in the war.

"We are talking about the self-defence of the Bundeswehr, the self-defence of the soldiers stationed there. The wording expresses that we reserve the right to protect our soldiers in the region if they are attacked."