President Herzog: Iranian attack on Israel is a ‘declaration of war’

President Isaac Herzog said that Iran’s major missile attack on Israel on Saturday is a “declaration of war”, as Jerusalem is expected to launch a military attack on Tehran or its proxies in the coming days. 

“Every one of us should look and ask, what would we do have we been attacked in such an aggressive way, as we were attacked last night from four corners of the Middle East with proxies shooting at us, firing missiles, ballistic missiles, drones, and then cruise missiles? This is like a real war. This is a declaration of war,” President Herzog told Sky News on Tuesday.

“Now, because we are restrained and because we know the repercussions, and because we have deliberations with our partners, we are considering all options and I’m quite confident that we will take the necessary steps to protect and defend our people. We are not war seekers,” he added.

A source told Jewish News that the war cabinet has agreed to respond to Iran’s attack on Saturday, which saw 120 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles and 170 drones fired at Israel from Iran, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.

IDF chief of staff Herzl Halevi stated on Monday that Iran “wanted to harm the strategic capabilities of the State of Israel — that is something that had not happened before.”

“We were prepared for the ‘Iron Shield’ operation (Israel’s name for the missile defence against Iran) — preparation that brought Iran to also encounter aerial superiority.”

“We are looking ahead, we are considering our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs into the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” he added.

Herzog also lashed out at the Houthi rebels’ attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, which has taken a toll on the international economy.

“Every citizen in the world is suffering in the cost of living because they’ve armed a small tribe called the Houthis in Yemen, while blocking the main artery of a commercial sea and transportation around the world, in the Red Sea. Another example why we should not turn a blind eye. But we should be looking lucidly at the phenomena called Tehran and Iran. Why is this empire of evil using its weapons all over?” he said.

“All Ukrainian citizens are suffering from their drones. It’s another perfect example of how they operate all over the world. And we are here. We are here to protect Europe in many ways from this empire of evil and it’s about time we realise it,” he added.

Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz called on the world to sanction Iran and proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation following Saturday’s attack.

“I am leading a political attack against Iran. This morning I sent letters to 32 countries and spoke with dozens of foreign ministers and leading figures in the world demanding that sanctions be imposed on the Iranian missile project and that the Revolutionary Guards be declared a terrorist organization, as a way to contain and weaken Iran . Iran must be stopped now – before it is too late,” Katz wrote on X on Tuesday morning.