Israel's Herzog hopes US talks can topple Iran's 'evil empire'

Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed hope on Wednesday that upcoming talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Donald Trump can undermine Iran's "empire of evil", AzerNEWS reports.

Speaking beside Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, Herzog wishes them “success in bringing peace” as well as discussing “the next phase in Gaza which is important to all of us, which I hope will bring a better future for all of us.”

The Israeli prime minister arrived in Washington earlier today and is scheduled to meet the US president later in the day.

Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting -- to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT) -- that he was weighing sending a second US “armada” to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.

Herzog also said they would be discussing “the next phase in Gaza which is important to all of us, which I hope will bring a better future for all of us.”

The Israeli head of state’s tightly secured, four-day trip aims to console Australia’s Jewish community after the December shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah festival.

But it has sparked protests in major Australian cities by groups opposed to Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories.

Chaos erupted on Monday evening in the heart of Sydney as police tried to prevent a rally from marching into an area designated off-limits.

Law enforcement used pepper spray on protesters and members of the media, including an AFP photographer, during scuffles in the city’s central business district.