Speaking as he prepared to fly to Canada for the meeting, Merz said he expected the Middle East conflict to be high on the agenda and that he hoped the G7 could demonstrate unity.

The four points were: that Iran cannot develop or posses nuclear weapons; that Israel has the right to defend itself against existential threats, which he said Iran's nuclear program represented; thirdly, the conflict should not escalate; and fourthly that scope for diplomacy must be created.

"I would like to add that in Germany we are also getting ready in case Iran should target Israeli or Jewish targets in Germany," Merz told reporters, without going into more detail.