Israeli President Herzog says Israel “not interested” in war with Lebanon, blames Hezbollah for military escalation

 Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday that “Israel is not interested to be at war with Lebanon” while accusing Hezbollah of being behind the military escalation between both nations. 

“We do not want to move to get into a war with Lebanon, but Lebanon has been hijacked by a terror organization which is also a political party in Lebanon called Hezbollah,” he told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips.

Herzog said Hezbollah had been “armed to its teeth by the Iranian empire of evil,” and that the leaders killed in the Friday attack on southern Beirut were “meeting together in order to launch the same horrific, horrendous attack that we had on October 7 by Hamas.” 

The president reiterated Israel “did not seek this war”, which “was instigated by the Empire of Evil, the Iranian proxies in the region, under the command of Iran,” and that his country is only focusing on defending itself. 

“Think for a moment, had the Bournemouth citizens been evacuated to Manchester for a year under attacks from one of the neighbors or Brighton, how long would the British government be restrained?” Herzog asked, referring to cities in northern and southern England. 

“We are working to change this equation,” he said, adding that Israel needed to ensure the return of hostages and secure itself from an attack from Lebanon. “It’s very simple, and life can go on in a peaceful manner on an internationally recognized boundary between Israel and Lebanon,” he concluded.