President Isaac Herzog speaks at the Herzliya Conference, May 22, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
‘This is a real war,’ says President Herzog, after Iran launches hundreds of missiles and war drones at Israel.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Israel over the weekend were a de facto “declaration of war” on the Jewish state, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Sunday.
On Saturday, some three hundred attack drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles were launched from Iranian territory towards Israel, marking the first time Iran has attacked Israel directly from its own territory.
Israel’s military claimed that the vast majority of the drones and missiles were intercepted without causing damage or casualties, though a 7-year-old Arab-Israeli girl was seriously injured near Arad in southern Israel, and an Israeli military base was lightly damaged in the attacks.
Speaking with Sky News, President Herzog said the attacks marked a “real war” between Israel and Iran, and were tantamount to a “declaration of war” by Tehran, after years of proxy fighting between the two countries.
“This is like a real war. I mean, this is a declaration of war,” Herzog said, while adding that Israel would exercise restraint in weighing its response to the attacks.
“The last thing that Israel is seeking in this region since its creation is to go to war, we are seeking peace.”
“We are peace seekers. We went to peace with our neighbours time and time again. Unfortunately, it all started on the 7th of October when a proxy of Iran, Hamas, led an unbelievably brutal massacre against Israeli citizens and the rest is history. We know it. So we should put it in perspective.”
Herzog noted that in addition to the direct attacks by Iran, Israel also came under fire from proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
“We were attacked last night from four corners of the Middle East with proxies shooting at us, firing missiles and ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles.”
The Israeli president declined to say how Israel would respond to the attacks, but emphasized that foreign governments must confront Tehran.
It is “about time the world faces this empire of evil in Tehran.”
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