President Isaac Herzog on Sunday called on the Lebanese and Iranian peoples to “rise up” and confront the Iranian regime, calling the ongoing war a “golden opportunity” to reshape the Middle East, on the eve of the first anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
“I think that now, when things are shaking in the Middle East, we should find a common exit strategy that enables a better future for the people of the region,” Herzog told the Saudi Al Arabiya network.
He called the current moment “a golden opportunity for the powers that want to have a better future for the Middle East to move forward with new ideas and new plans in order to resolve this conflict,” and suggested “a NATO-like structure in the region that blocks radicalism and terror.”
Herzog was interviewed as the region braces for Israel’s potential response to Iran’s missile attack last week, when the Islamic Republic sent some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, the majority of which were intercepted. Two Israelis were hurt and one Palestinian was killed.
When asked what Israel’s response would consist of — whether the country might hit Iran’s oil fields, nuclear sites, or even its leaders — the president paused and said, “I have no intention of responding to your question, don’t take it personally.”
He rejected, however, the anchor’s suggestion that Israel is seeking “revenge and retaliation” a year after the Hamas attack.
Rather, he said, “there was a huge opportunity that was laid out originally by President Biden” of Israel-Saudi normalization, “that would bring hope and a huge message of peace in the region, and this hope was derailed by this vicious, horrific attack of the Iranian proxies.”
The president noted the various Iranian proxies beyond Hamas that have attacked Israel over the last year, and said: “It’s a big challenge, but if we can change the equation and uproot this empire of evil, and move forward to a better future of connectivity and peace in the region, this could be of historic magnitude.”
Herzog defended Israel against accusations of war crimes in international forums, saying, “We truly believe in our vision: we are a democracy. We are an oasis in the Middle East. We have Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Circassians living and dwelling together,” noting that Hezbollah has struck Muslim towns and cities in some of its daily rocket attacks over the last year.
He said he could “definitely rule out” that any war crimes have been committed by Israeli soldiers over the course of the yearlong war, telling his interviewer, “We follow the exact rules of international humanitarian law,” and saying if any violations are suspected, they are investigated immediately.
“We care for the pain of our neighbors, but we have the right to defend ourselves from missiles in people’s homes, in people’s shops, in people’s mosques, in people’s playgrounds or schools,” he said. “It’s unbelievably annoying when you see this in Gaza or in southern Lebanon, or throughout Lebanon. It’s unacceptable.”
“The world needs to stand up and say, this is unacceptable. Don’t put any missile in your living room or in your sleeping room or anywhere else, just get it out of there,” Herzog said.
Following a year of fighting with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which began attacking Israel in support of Hamas after the October 7 attack last year, Israel has ramped up fighting against the Lebanese group, and launched a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon last week, largely aimed at destroying weapons stored in villages near the border.
The president also rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for at least a partial weapons embargo on Israel, saying Israel is “fighting for the future of the free world,” and that extremist forces have Europe and the United States in their sights as well.
The interview came one day before Israel marks the first anniversary of the October 7 attack, which saw thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invade southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, during acts of brutality and sexual assault.
In Israel, the day will be marked by both an official government ceremony and an alternative event organized by victims of the attack who are critical of the government.