BRUSSELS — Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Wednesday in Brussels with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. He urged the European leadership to take a stronger position on Iran and discussed the issue of Israeli captives held by Hamas.

Herzog arrived in Belgium on Wednesday morning for a two-day visit. On Thursday he is set to address the European Parliament on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and then to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Ahead of the meeting with von der Leyen, Belgium's King Philippe hosted Herzog at the royal palace. In both meetings, Herzog emphasized the danger Iran poses to the stability of the region and the world as it races toward nuclear capabilities, supports global terrorism and supplies Russia with weapons it's using against the Ukrainian people.

Herzog's visit comes on the backdrop of a push in Europe against Iran. The European Parliament called last week on European leaders to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the European list of terror organizations and to increase sanctions against Iranian figures linked to human rights violations in the country.