Israel doesn’t oppose a diplomatic resolution to the Iran war, but it has raised security concerns. Given that Israel is on the front lines, it has a right to do so, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News on Sunday.
“We have been the ones bombarded by Iranian missiles and by their proxies. We are the ones who are out there,” he said.
Lebanon wants to make peace with Israel just as Israel wants to make peace with Lebanon. But that is impossible if Hezbollah remains the strongest force in Lebanon, weakening Beirut’s leadership, he said.
“It has to be made clear that Iran cannot be involved in Lebanon,” he continued. “A peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon cannot be reached if Iran has so much leverage.”
Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, is a state-within-a-state in Lebanon, Herzog said.
On Tuesday, Israel and Lebanon will resume talks in Washington, D.C. A ceasefire had been agreed to on June 3 following the last round of talks. That agreement was contingent on Hezbollah agreeing to stop its attacks on Israel. Hezbollah quickly rejected the deal.
Hezbollah violated the ceasefire over and over again, Herzog said. “We have dozens of casualties. They fired on 50 sites in the last few days.”
If a diplomatic solution can’t be reached, only Israeli soldiers can bring Hezbollah to heel, the Israeli president warned.
Despite reports of friction between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to disagreements over the recent Iran deal, Herzog said the two allies maintain a “very good rapport and dialogue.”
