Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed from the United Nations on Friday (September 27) that he would continue striking Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip until “total victory”. He also warned “tyrants of Iran” that Israel will hit back if Tehran does so. “There is no place in Iran where the long arm of Israel cannot reach,” he said in a stern message at the UN General Assembly address.
“Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely. And that's exactly what we're doing,” Netanyahu said, eliciting applause from supporters in the gallery of the General Assembly. “We'll continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met,” he said.
"Israel will win this battle. We will win this battle because we don't have a choice. After generations in which our people were slaughtered, were mercilessly butchered, and no one raised a finger in our defence. We now have a state, a brave army and we are defending ourselves," Netanyahu added.
Middle East on the edge of war
Netanyahu’s remarks came as the Middle East remains on the edge of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah as strikes and counter-strikes continue from both sides of the border. Israel has been striking Hezbollah targets intensively for the past week, with a war already in progress in Gaza.
Late on Wednesday, the United States, France, and other allies jointly called for an “immediate” 21-day cease-fire to allow for negotiations. Israel said on Thursday that discussions were underway, however, Hezbollah hasn't officially responded to the cease-fire proposal, but has said it won't stop firing until the Gaza war ends. Hezbollah began striking Israel a day after Hamas' Oct 7 attack in an act of solidarity with the Palestinians.
“Just imagine if terrorists turned El Paso and San Diego into ghost towns...How long would the American government tolerate that?” he said. “Yet Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for almost a year. Well, I've come here today to say: Enough is enough.”
Netanyahu warns Iran for support to Hamas and Hezbollah
The Israeli Prime Minister pointed the finger at Iran for being a destabilising force in the Middle East, highlighting its backing of both Hamas and Hezbollah. “I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran. If you strike us, we will strike you. There is no place in Iran where the long arm of Israel cannot reach. And that is true for the entire Middle East,” he said.
As he spoke, the seats in the Iran delegation sat empty.
Netanyahu details escalation by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran since October 7 last year
Giving an account of "unprovoked" attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran in about a year since October 7, 2023, the Prime Minister said, "The curse of October 7th began with when Hamas invaded Israel from Gaza. But, it didn't end there. Israel was soon forced to defend itself and...more war fronts organised by Israel. On October 8, Hezbollah attacked us from Lebanon. Since then, they fired over 8000 rockets at our towns and cities, at our civilians, at our children."
"Two weeks later, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen launched drones and missiles at Israel. The first of 250 such attacks, including one yesterday, aimed at Tel Aviv. Iran Shiites militias....Fuelled by Iran, Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria perpetrated scores of attacks there and throughout Israel and last April, for the first time ever, Iran directly attacked Israel from its own territory, firing 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at us," he added.
Netanyahu shows two maps -- ' blessing and curse'
He held two maps in his hand and asked the world to choose between them, naming one of them a "blessing" and the other one a "curse".
Explaining the "map of blessing", he said, "It shows Israel and its Arab partners forming a land bridge connecting Asia and Europe between the Indian Ocean and the Medditerean Sea." Speaking about the "map of curse", he said, "Now look at this second map. It's a map of a curse. It's a map of an arc of terror that Iran has created and imposed from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean."
Netanyahu's stern message for Iran
The Israeli Prime Minister called upon the world to "Stop appeasing Iran" stating that it will endanger every country in the Middle East and other nations across the globe. He said in no uncertain terms that the world has been turning a "blind eye" to external aggression by Iran and the appeasement "must end now".
"For too long the world has appeased Iran, it turns a blind eye to its internal repression, it turns a blind eye to external aggression. That appeasement must end and that appeasement must end now," he said.
He called on the world to support to "join Israel" in stopping Iran's nuclear weapons program. He urged the UN Security Council to impose "snapback" sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program. Netanyahu said, "I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran. If you strike us, we will strike you. There is no place in Iran where the long arm of Israel cannot reach. And that is true for the entire Middle East."
(With inputs from agencies)
