Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that Israel and the U.S. had little choice but to strike Iran due to concerns over its nuclear ambitions and expanding long-range missile capabilities.

Axar.az reports in a CBS Evening News interview, Herzog emphasized that Israel is not calling for a ground invasion and is not dragging the U.S. into the conflict.

He framed the campaign’s objective as crippling Iran’s ability to pursue nuclear weapons and limiting its support for proxy militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, rather than explicitly seeking regime change — though he acknowledged that regime change “would be even better” if it occurs.

Herzog called the conflict a war the free world must fight, warning that Iran must face consequences for its actions: “It's about time that everybody tells Iran, 'Guys, we're fed up, this has to change.'”

He highlighted Israel’s close coordination with the U.S., while stressing the defensive nature of the strikes: “Sometimes you have no choice, if you are hit, you have to fight back.” Addressing the duration of the campaign, Herzog noted that while there is no set timeline, ongoing operations are steadily weakening the Iranian regime’s capabilities.