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.
"I've seen the interview of the president of Lebanon on CNN, and it was quite an interesting interview. But I must say, the situation is very clear. We in Israel seek peace with Lebanon," Herzog said in a video statement published in both English and Arabic.
"The people of Israel support peace with Lebanon. Peace with Lebanon is feasible. I always say, my dream is to take a car and drive all the way to Beirut. It's feasible. But for that, the government of Lebanon, the leadership of Lebanon, and the people of Lebanon have to stand up against Iran and against Hezbollah, and make it clear that they want peace, not terror," he continued.
"It was Hezbollah who violated the Security Council resolution of 2006. It was Hezbollah who violated the ceasefire agreement of 2024. And Israelis and Israel cannot accept any attacks on our citizens, any attacks crossing our borders, any attacks of terror," he added.
"We have the full right to defend ourselves. And so long as there is no clear, clear arrangement that protects our nations, it will be impossible to move forward, so it's in your hands," he concluded.
Aoun rejects Hezbollah, Iran, says people are 'fed up' with war
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.”