AL HAYAT - Israel president tells AFP Europe should back efforts to 'eradicate' Hezbollah

In an exclusive interview at his Jerusalem residence, the Israeli head of state also said the US-Israeli war with Iran marked a "historical juncture".

"Europe should support any effort, any effort, to eradicate Hezbollah now," Herzog said.

"They should understand that if you want to get anywhere, sometimes you need to win war."

Israel's military announced Monday it was conducting "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to end the Iran-backed group's rocket attacks.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war when Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel has carried out extensive air strikes against areas of southern Lebanon and the capital Beirut, mainly saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites or operatives.

The Lebanese authorities say that more than one million people have been displaced inside the country in the two weeks of fighting.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday offered to host direct negotiations between the Israeli and Lebanese governments in Paris, saying that Beirut was ready to engage.

Herzog, whose role is mainly ceremonial, welcomed the proposal as a "very positive development".

"I think it's very important that there should be talks," he said.

"Talks are very important, because it's about time we have an opportunity of moving forward with Lebanon."

So far, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given no public indication that talks with Beirut are on the table.

- Lebanese army 'limitations' -

Israeli officials have repeatedly railed against the Lebanese authorities for what they say are failures to honour a commitment to disarm Hezbollah.

"It should be the Lebanese army that should do the work, but we know that they have their limitations," he said.

"We are demanding from Lebanon and from their army to do the work...All we want with Lebanon is peace."

In recent days, Hezbollah and Iran have launched coordinated rocket and missile attacks against Israel.

The Israeli military said on Monday that since the latest fighting began, "more than 400 (Hezbollah) terrorists have been eliminated".

Lebanese authorities said the death toll in Israeli attacks rose to nearly 900.

A Shiite movement, Hezbollah was founded in Lebanon with the support of Iran in response to Israel's 1982 invasion of the country to drive out Palestinian militants.

Hezbollah gained significance across the Arab world after forcing Israel to withdraw from Lebanon in 2000 following more than 22 years of occupation, and later standing up to Israel during a month-long war in the summer of 2006.

Over the years, the movement built what many describe as a state within a state in Lebanon. It emerged severely weakened from its last confrontation with Israel in 2023-2024 after joining the hostilities triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack.

Since a ceasefire came into force in October 2024, Israel has repeatedly demanded the disarmament of the movement, regularly bombing its positions while accusing the Lebanese authorities of failing to carry out the task themselves.

- 'Time for doing' -

Talking about the broader US-Israeli war with Iran war, Herzog said: "We are at a historical juncture."

"There comes a moment that after well over a generation of endless wars, bloodshed and terror, the root cause of it, which comes from Tehran, will be blocked and stopped, and the whole direction of the region will change," he continued.

He insisted defeating the clerical authorities in Iran was "in the innermost national security interests of Europe".

Herzog said that Iran had been seeking "10 times the amount of ballistic missiles, which would have threatened Europe big time".

"After talking and talking for a whole generation, it's about time for doing," he said.

Herzog reiterated Israeli hopes that the people of Iran "will rise up", as he insisted that the broader international community should assist the joint offensive with the United States against Tehran.

"Where is the whole world? Rather than all the time criticising Israel, let's help us. Let's help the Americans," he said.

"Let's help us bring a real change so that there will be a different future in the region."

R.Rabiah--al-Hayat