International pressure on Israel to stop Lebanon war grows; Netanyahu insists IDF will continue until rocket attacks stop

JERUSALEM, Israel – Facing growing international pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel will continue to attack Hezbollah to end rocket attacks that have continued for nearly a year.

For the first time during the war, Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Although Israel's David Sling missile defense system was able to intercept the missile, this represents an escalation on the part of Hezbollah. Despite being subjected to more than two thousand air strikes, Hezbollah continued to fire hundreds of missiles across northern Israel.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday: “Today, 300 rockets were fired at Israel. Six civilians and soldiers were injured, most of them lightly.”

Netanyahu again addressed the Lebanese people, saying: “We will continue to attack Hezbollah. And I say to the Lebanese people: Our war is not against you, our war is against Hezbollah. Nasrallah is leading you to the brink of the abyss.”

Hagari announced that Israel had eliminated Hezbollah's rocket and missile commander, who was responsible for thousands of attacks.

Hagari described the incident as follows: “Air Force fighter jets hit exactly one floor of a building where he was staying with other commanders of Hezbollah's rocket unit.”

The Israeli military has now killed almost the entire Hezbollah leadership. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the military was rapidly reducing Hezbollah to normal size.

“Hezbollah today is not Hezbollah of a week ago,” Gallant said. “The series of setbacks it has suffered in terms of its leadership, its operatives, its weapons – all of these are extremely serious setbacks.”

Hagari explained: “We want the operation to be short – as short as possible. That's why we are attacking with all our might.”

Meanwhile, Britain is urging all its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately. 700 British soldiers have been stationed in nearby Cyprus to help evacuate these citizens. The Lebanese foreign minister says the number of Lebanese evacuated from southern Lebanon is nearly half a million.

At the United Nations, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon blamed Iran for the fighting and described Tehran as a puppet master of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

“We will not allow Iran’s terrorist cronies to determine the future of our nation,” Danon vowed.

President Joe Biden also visited the United Nations and called for peace in the region.

“Since October 7, we have been determined to prevent a major war that engulfs the entire region,” he said. “Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel for no reason during the October 7 attack. Almost a year later, too many people are still displaced on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border. No one has an interest in a full-scale war. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Gaza as a “perpetual nightmare” and said the world could not afford for Lebanon to become another Gaza.

Israel’s Defense Minister responded to the UN chief on X, He writes: “Mr. Secretary-General, the nightmare you speak of is in fact reality. The reality is that Hezbollah has taken Lebanon hostage and the UN neither recognizes its actions nor fulfills its basic obligation – namely, to prevent Hezbollah attacks and to demand the implementation of Resolution 1701.”

On Thursday, Netanyahu is scheduled to address the United Nations, where he will vigorously defend Israel's right to self-defense, eliminate the Hezbollah threat and return more than 60,000 Israeli evacuees from northern Israel to their homes.

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