Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz told Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu that he would invite him to Germany in defiance of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Israeli prime minister's office said on Monday.

Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is set to return to power with the far-right Alternative for Germany as second-largest party, exit polls show, after snap elections dominated by concerns over immigration,

Exit polls show the center-right Christian Democratic Union party leading, with the AfD party heading towards the strongest showing of the far-right since World War II.

German conservatives under likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed on Monday to move quickly to try to form a coalition after winning the most votes in a national election that saw far-right and far-left parties gain support from disaffected voters.

Germany's center-right alliance appears set to win the country's latest federal election, which comes at a critical moment for Europe's largest economy. The latest exit polls show the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party,

Germany's conservatives won the national election on Sunday but a fractured vote handed the far-right Alternative for Germany its best ever result in second place and left conservative leader Friedrich Merz facing messy coalition talks.