President Herzog Says Israel Doesn't Want To Go To War With Lebanon And Blames Hezbollah

Israeli President Isaac Herzog. (Wikimedia Commons/Haim Zach/Government Press Office of Israel)

JAKARTA - President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday, "Israel is not interested in fighting Lebanon" while accusing Hezbollah of being behind the military escalation between the two countries.

"We don't want to move to fight Lebanon, but Lebanon has been hijacked by a terror organization that is also a political party in Lebanon called Hezbollah," he told Trevor Phillips of Sky News, quoted by CNN Sept. 23.

President Herzog said Hezbollah had been "armed completely by Iran's evil empire," and leaders killed in Friday's attack in southern Beirut "meeted together to launch the same horrific attack as we did on October 7 by Hamas."

President Herzog stressed Israel "does not want this war", which is "instigated by the Evil Empire, the proxies of Iran in the region, under Iran's command," and the country focuses solely on self-defense.

"Think for a moment, if Bournemouth residents were evacuated to Manchester for a year due to attacks from a neighboring country or Brighton, how long will the British Government be restrained?" asked Herzog, referring to cities in northern and southern England.

"We are trying to change this equation," he said, adding Israel needed to ensure the return of hostages and secure itself from attacks from Lebanon.

"It is very simple, and life can continue to run peacefully on the internationally recognized border between Israel and Lebanon," he concluded.