Israeli President Herzog confirmed to take part in Munich conference

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will be attending the Munich Security Conference (MSC) next week, conference director Christoph Heusgen has confirmed to dpa.

He did not yet want to say whether members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government would also be attending, however the premier will not be coming to Munich.

"Netanyahu has already been to the MSC and also made a remarkable appearance there in 2018. Now we are looking forward to seeing the president," said Heusgen.

During his speech in Munich in 2018, Netanyahu held up a piece a piece of what Israel insists was an Iranian drone that crossed into its airspace, looking to substantiate his accusation of Iranian aggression against Israel.

The escalation of the Middle East conflict caused by Hamas' coordinated attacks on Israel on October 7 will be one of the main topics at the Munich Security Conference, which takes place from February 16 to 18.

Prime ministers from Lebanon, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait as well as the foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia and Oman are also expected to attend the conference in Munich.

"The government of Yemen is also prominently represented," said Heusgen.

A total of around 50 heads of government will be coming to Munich, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to take part in the security conference, though this has not been confirmed yet.