Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday visited the site of an Iranian missile strike in Beit Shemesh, where nine people were killed.
During his visit, Herzog was briefed by the Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg and emergency services personnel at the scene. He also held and kissed a pair of tefillin (phylacteries) which survived the Sunday missile strike.
"We are here at a scene of havoc and terror," Herzog said. "This is one of the first synagogues in Beit Shemesh. The missile totally annihilated the synagogue and entered into the shelter because it was a direct hit with a half-a-ton missile. Children were murdered here. Nine innocent souls were lost."
"All night, the teams of the mayor were gathering their remains and pieces. We pray for the victims, and we pray with the families, and we hope that they will find comfort."
Herzog emphasized, "We are in the middle of a very important stage in history. This stage will determine the direction of the Middle East. There is a unique opportunity to change the trajectory. Rather than endless terror and havoc created by the empire of evil from Tehran, there will be change that will offer hope and peace to a coalition of nations, which has emerged above ground and is fighting against the empire of evil."
"I recommend to any proxy not to even dare think that they will start another war with us," he warned. "We will not accept any more, and we won't let them amass their forces on our border."
"In front of it, there is an entire coalition of nations, which wants to seek peace and change in the Middle East, which wants to go together, which consists of Jew and Muslim and Christian. I sincerely hope that this operation will move forward so that there will be real change.
"We call upon the Iranian people. This is your opportunity, at the given moment, to rise up and bring change in the region so that we can all live in peace.
"I will conclude with the incredible pictures that I saw in the streets of London yesterday. Iranians and Israelis, shedding tears together, hugging together, and saying, we want peace. And for this, sometimes you need to fight. That's exactly what we're doing."