ASSOCIATED PRESS
INTERNATIONAL.- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday she condemns a tweet from Iran’s top leader saying that Israel is a “cancerous tumor” that needs to be removed and pledged to increase pressure on Tehran to scale back its military influence in the region.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Merkel said Israel’s security was a top priority for Germany.

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The two leaders were asked about a tweet Sunday from the account of Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying his country’s “stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen.”

The Twitter account is run by Khamenei’s office and it’s not known if he dictates the tweets himself. The quote is from several years ago. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the tweet “quite extraordinary.”