President Isaac Herzog on Monday addressed the investigation into the attempted attack aboard a Flydubai flight to Israel, the confrontation with Iran, and the third anniversary of the October 7th Massacre in an interview with Fox News.
Addressing reports that Israel had been unaware that the alleged attacker on the flight had previously been barred from flying by Oman Air over concerns about radicalization, Herzog said an intensive investigation was underway.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that our national security adviser, Shmuel Ben Ezra, and his team will review this and investigate it in depth in order to see where the gaps were and what faults there were," Herzog said. He added that Israel was cooperating with relevant agencies in neighboring countries and with the United Arab Emirates.
Herzog described the incident as evidence of the need for closer cooperation on aviation security. "We're seeing a clear evidence of a terror attack, a terror attack which could have changed the world literally and definitely the region," he said. "That means, of course, that above the miracles that were there, there's also the need to repair and be better next time."
Asked about tensions with Iran after US President Donald Trump said the issue could be resolved "the easy way or the hard way," Herzog said Trump's assessment reflected the choices facing the region.
"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," Herzog said. "That's what Tehran is doing. And that is why they must not have any access to nuclear capabilities at all."
Herzog said countries throughout the region shared concerns about Iran, whether or not they expressed them publicly, and were working together to prevent what he described as an "empire of proxies" from changing the regional balance.
He also pointed to Yemen and disruptions to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. "A small tribe is blocking a main artery of world trade," Herzog said. "Meaning, are we going to cave into terror, harassment, blackmail or not? And that is why the war with Iran is so essential."
Herzog also reflected on the third anniversary of the October 7th Massacre, noting that Israel was marking the Hebrew-calendar anniversary on Monday and would mark three years since October 7 on Wednesday.
"We have a whole week of ceremonies, huge agony, pain and sorrow, reminiscing and memory, but also a lesson to all of us. We must fight terror together," he said.
Herzog recalled addressing a joint session of the US Congress three months before the massacre and warning that terrorism threatened the prospects for peace in the region.
"We want peace. We want peace with our neighbors. We did not seek that war. It was waged upon us by horrific, barbaric terrorists who raped, butchered, abducted and killed our citizens," Herzog said.
He added: "With our inherent right to self-defense, we went out to fight and we changed the route of the Middle East with our heroic fighters." Herzog concluded that despite criticism directed at Israel, "the truth of the matter is that Israel is protecting the West and the free world by its activities."