Herzog defends war with Iran, says targeted oil sites were military assets

Israeli president Isaac Herzog defended the war with Iran in a sit-down interview with BILD, saying the conflict that began with Hamas' October 7 assault is inseparable from Iran's broader strategy. "It's a connected war. It started October 7th, and we're reaching — actually, in my mind, I think we may be reaching the final chapter of the war by changing the entire configuration of the Middle East," he said.

Rejecting criticism that Israeli strikes have gone too far, Herzog said the targeted oil assets were "kept by the military" and were "not the oil reserves of the people of Iran." He added the oil was used as part of financing for operations, calling it taken from "the war machine." He described Tehran as the center of an "Empire of Evil coalition" and urged Europe and NATO to align more firmly with Israel, arguing that confronting Iran is prevention rather than escalation.

"With cruelty, you have to meet with a lot of effort and with a lot of strength," he said, and added that the U.S.

Israel, Middle East

isaac herzog, iran, hamas, october 7, oil assets, military, war machine, tehran, europe, nato