As Israel faces criticism from its allies over the scale of its attack on Gaza, which left much of the enclave in ruins amid preparations for an Israeli attack on Rafah, Herzog made clear that Tehran was the real enemy. In response to Iranian drone and missile attacks on Israel last weekend, the Israeli government launched a strike against Iran on Friday.
“If you don’t wake up, be as strong as possible and fight this evil empire with the coalition you have in NATO, Europe could pay the price in the future” , Herzog said.
G7 foreign ministers acknowledged the danger on Friday, agreeing that sanctions would be imposed on Tehran if it was found to be supplying ballistic missiles to Moscow.
In the interview, Herzog also rejected calls from US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for Israel to hold new elections in order to emerge from the political turmoil that has rocked the country since the September 7 attack. October by Hamas militants. “I would recommend that American political leaders not intervene as such in Israeli politics, but leave it to the Israeli public and body politic to make their own decision,” Herzog said.
Herzog also said he considers US President Joe Biden a “great friend of Israel”, despite the US leader’s calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, his opposition to a planned assault on Rafah and his comments in support of Schumer’s speech.
The increase in attacks in southern Gaza has raised the death toll from the war between Israel and Hamas to more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, the AP reported.
Politico
