Report: German intel officials unhappy with government’s approach to Iranian threats

German intelligence officials are unhappy with the way in which the country’s leaders have addressed the rising threat of Tehran-backed attacks within Germany since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, The New York Times reports.

Citing five senior German officials familiar with the matter, the Times reports that intelligence chiefs and local government officials believe that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt have downplayed the risk of such attacks when addressing the public.

Intelligence officials tell the outlet that they are concerned that, as a result of this, the public will fail to take the threat of Iranian-sponsored attacks seriously.

But in turn, sources say that the German government believes that if it publicly expresses too much concern over the threat, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

After the outbreak of war in the Middle East, Merz said Germany would boost security around Jewish and Israeli sites, but said there was no indication of “an increased threat level domestically.”

Intelligence officials believe that many of the targets eyed up by Iranian-backed attackers in Germany are Jewish institutions, the Times reports, although members of the Iranian diaspora are also believed to be targets.

A spokesperson for Merz tells the Times that intelligence and government officials are on the same page when it comes to “detecting and targeting the threats to keep them under control.”