Full Breakdown
President Isaac Herzog Links Terror Threat to Regional Peace and Global Security
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Core Remarks on Terror and Peace
In a July 2023 address to the United States Congress, President Isaac Herzog told lawmakers that the prevailing terror threat is the primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East, a warning he made three months before the October 7 attacks. Herzog added that Israel’s actions are intended to protect “the free world” from further aggression.
Investigation of the Flydubai Hijack Attempt
Herzog said the investigation into the attempted hijacking of Flydubai flight FZ1073 is “very intense” and that Israel’s National Security Council, led by Shmuel Ben-Ezra, will examine security gaps.
Views on Iran and U.S. Policy
Responding to recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that Iran’s regime is “decimated,” Herzog called the assessment “exactly true.” He echoed Trump’s framing of Iran as an “empire of evil” seeking to radicalize the world and warned that Tehran must be denied nuclear capabilities. Herzog noted that regional states share this view, even when they are not outspoken, and highlighted ongoing behind-the-scenes cooperation to counter Iran’s proxy network.
Regional Terror Landscape and Commemorations
During a September 30, 2026 visit to the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division near Beit El, Herzog marked the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, describing the week of ceremonies as a time of “huge agony, pain and sorrow” and a lesson for collective action against terror. He also referenced Yemen’s Houthi militants as a “small tribe” that has disrupted the Bab al-Mandab strait, a vital artery of global trade.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We are seeing clear evidence of a terror attack… which could have changed the world, literally, and definitely the region,” — Isaac Herzog, president
- “One thing that President Trump repeats all the time correctly is that we are dealing with an empire of evil which wants to really radicalize the world, conquer the free world, get all the way to Europe and the United States; that’s the jihadist regime philosophy, that's what Tehran is doing, and that is why they must not have any access to nuclear capabilities at all,” — Isaac Herzog, president