President Isaac Herzog called for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to free the nation from the influence of Hezbollah and Iran in a video message on Wednesday.
During a tour of northern Israel, Herzog addressed Aoun and the people of Lebanon in Arabic, saying that he extends a hand of peace towards them.
“My dream is to travel to Beirut,” he said, “and this dream is still alive, but only if Lebanon’s future is determined in Beirut, and not in Tehran.”
He also emphasized Hezbollah‘s actions violating the UN Security Council Resolution of 2006 and the ceasefire agreement of 2024.
“Israel cannot accept any attacks on our citizens, any attacks crossing our borders, any terror attacks. We have the full right to defend ourselves, and so long as there is no clear arrangement that protects our nation, it will be impossible to move forward. So it’s in your hands, fight for it,” he said.
Aoun slammed Hezbollah and Iran in an interview with CNN on Friday, saying that his country’s people “are not [Hezbollah leader] Naim Qassem’s people.”
Aoun told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that he spoke to a diverse number of Lebanese civilians, who have told him that they are “fed up” with the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
“They deserve not seeing their homes destroyed every five to 10 years,” Aoun said, describing the war as “futile.”
Regarding Iran, Aoun accused the Islamic Republic of using Lebanon “for the sake of your [Iran’s] own interest.”
“You are not trying to help us,” said Aoun. “The people of Lebanon are paying the price.”