ANKARA 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday congratulated Friedrich Merz, German opposition leader and head of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), for taking the lead in the German legislative elections.

In a statement, Netanyahu congratulated Merz and the CDU "on their clear election victory today."

"Looking forward to working closely with your upcoming government to further strengthen the partnership between our two countries," Netanyahu added.

Earlier, German opposition leader Merz declared victory after his Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) won nearly 29% of the votes in Sunday's federal election, securing a clear lead over other parties.