Washington — Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Sunday that his country “does not want this war” with Hezbollah and that before Friday’s Israeli attacks that killed a top commander of the terror group, “the assumption is that they were preparing an attack.”
“We did not want this war,” Herzog said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “We are not looking for war. This war was brought upon us by the proxies of the Iranian evil empire, on October 7 by Hamas and on October 8 by Hezbollah.”
The comments come after Israel and Lebanon exchanged heavy fire night, following a series of attacks against Hezbollah, a terrorist group designated by the United States, in recent days. On Friday, a air strike The attack left dozens dead and thousands wounded in explosive devices in southern Beirut, including killing a senior Hezbollah official, Ibrahim Aqil. It was the deadliest attack on the Lebanese capital since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Earlier in the week, Hezbollah vowed to retaliate after dozens were killed and thousands wounded in explosive devices. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Herzog said Sunday that “the world must be with” Israel.
“This is a real turning point for the world,” Herzog said. “The world has to stop this. The world has to be with us. And the world has to understand that we are fighting for a free world and we have to get our hostages home as quickly as possible. This is the greatest distress of humanity right now.”
Since the Hamas attack on October 7 and the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire regularly. But the attacks have mostly taken place in the less populated areas of Lebanon.
Herzog said Israel had been in a “vicious circle” with its adversaries since October 7, urging “we want to get out of this vicious circle, and if we have no choice, then we are preparing for an escalation.”
Regarding a possible agreement on the release of the hostages, the Israeli president said there was “no positive sign from Hamas” regarding the return of the 101 people held by Hamas, including four Americans. But he added that the current crisis, which he described as “hot,” offered “an opportunity to move forward and change this situation by finding the right way out and bringing the hostages home.”
