Defense Israeli president: Middle East’s future ‘depends on’ US action in Iran by Tara Suter - 03/01/26 12:09 PM ET by Tara Suter - 03/01/26 12:09 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Sunday that the Middle East’s future “depends on” American action in Iran in the wake of U.S. strikes against the country. “We are in a historic juncture. Well, the future of the Middle East depends on the success of this operation, because it is an opportunity to divert this age-old war that has been looming over the Middle East between the empire of evil, led by Iran, and all other innocent and peace-loving nations,” Herzog told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” “That’s the story here, and people have to understand it. This is not a war for the sake of war. This is a strategic war in order, for once and for all, to stop this enormous, horrendous bloodshed of terror, of killing, this huge war machine that goes on and on and on,” he added. On Saturday morning, the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran following weeks-long tension between the Americans and Iranians. Shortly after, Iran retaliated through attacks on Israel and Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar . Three servicemembers were killed in the military operation in Iran, the U.S. said Sunday. Also on Sunday, President Trump threatened Iran with “force never seen before” after the U.S. and Israel’s strikes on the country. “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said in an early morning post to Truth Social. The State Department on Saturday urged Americans to “exercise increased caution” following the U.S. military action in Iran. “Following the launch of U.S. combat operations in Iran, Americans worldwide and especially in the Middle East should follow the guidance in the latest security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate,” the State Department said in a security alert. Add as preferred source on Google Tags Dana Bash Donald Trump Iran Iran strikes Isaac Herzog Israel Middle east Trump adminisration Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Defense News See All Defense US military used stealth B-2 bombers to strike Iran’s ballistic missile facilities by Filip Timotija 37 minutes ago Defense  /  37 minutes ago