Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits the site of an Iranian strike in Beit Shemesh, Israel, March 2, 2026.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld | Getty Images
Israeli President Isaac Herzog told a group of U.S. business leaders at the Yale CEO caucus meeting on Tuesday that he understands their concerns about the costs of the war against Iran, but argued it is a necessary price for a “better horizon for the Middle East.”
Herzog called the war, which the United States and Israel launched on Feb. 28, “a big moment for the region,” which has effectively united against Iran and its policy of terror.
“You want a different future for the Middle East,” Herzog said at the event in Washington, speaking remotely by video. “For the first time, we’re operating together … a NATO-like structure, because we are all bombarded by Iran, and we’re all fighting against Iran.
“I know it’s not easy for you guys in the business world,” the Israeli president said. “Everybody’s looking at the data and the cost. We understand.”
“But all of us understand that sometimes you need to take hard steps to get to the goal of a reasonable horizon for the Middle East and an even better horizon for the Middle East,” Herzog said. “Undermining Iran’s capability is [the] No. 1 rule.”
Business leaders in the room at the invite-only event included: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, AOL co-founder Steve Case, Washington Commanders partner Mark Ein, Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel and Lazard CEO Peter Orszag.
Asked if U.S. and Israeli leaders have a long-term plan for Iran, Herzog said, “I am quite impressed by many levels of very intimate cooperation and analysis together.”
The Trump administration is facing questions about the length of the war. Trump has criticized his presidential predecessors for dragging out other conflicts in the Middle East.
Herzog, meanwhile, lauded the U.S. and Israel cooperation.
“The incredible cooperation that we have between our militaries is unprecedented. We had people who compared it even to some of the alignment of the allies in World War II, meaning that we share in on so many levels, so many things in this world, that it is quite unbelievable,” Herzog said.
Herzog also said the war, by “substantially” hurting Iran’s military, government and infrastructure, is enabling “the people to rise up” there.
“We don’t know if they will,” he added. “Two months ago, [Iran’s regime] butchered 50,000 of the people, which is so brutal and so horrendous that we understand that we are dealing with the real ‘Empire of Evil’ in the world.
“So the grand plan is first and foremost to weaken them substantially, and that is what is being done,” Herzog said.
