Netanyahu promises in a UN speech to continue the fight against Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders on September 27 that Israel “will continue to degrade Hezbollah” until it pacifies the border region with Lebanon.

Netanyahu's comments are likely to dampen international efforts to push Israel toward a broader ceasefire deal and prevent its confrontations with Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran from escalating into a larger regional conflict.

Earlier this week, the United States, France and other allies called on Israel to seek an immediate three-week ceasefire to allow negotiations with Hezbollah and prevent all-out war.

However, the embattled Israeli leader told the U.N. General Assembly in New York City that his government would no longer tolerate daily rocket attacks by Hezbollah forces along the northern border – attacks that Israel has suppressed over the last week with heavy rocket fire on its own.

“Israel has every right to eliminate this threat and return our citizens safely to their homes,” Netanyahu said.

“And that is exactly what we are doing… we will continue to degrade Hezbollah until all of our objectives are achieved.

“Imagine if terrorists turned El Paso and San Diego into ghost towns. How long would the American government tolerate this?

“Yet Israel tolerated this intolerable situation for almost a year. Well, I came here today to say enough is enough.”

Netanyahu also defended his country's response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas terrorists, who killed more than 1,200 Israelis in surprise armed attacks on Israel.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the Hamas invasion, and fighting between Israel and the Lebanese terrorist group has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes on both sides of the border.

Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attacks sparked condemnation from the international community for its apparent brutality and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Netanyahu defended Israel's actions in Gaza and said he traveled to the United Nations to refute falsehoods he heard from other leaders earlier in the week.

“I wasn't planning on coming here this year. “My country is at war and fighting for its life,” Netanyahu said. “But after hearing the lies and slanders of many speakers on this podium about my country, I decided to come here and set the record straight.”

Gaza's health authority says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since fighting began last year. However, these numbers do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Netanyahu has previously pushed back against those figures, saying the death toll between civilians and combatants is roughly one to one.

Previously, Israeli forces said they had killed 17,000 terrorists in Gaza, which Netanyahu estimated would put the total number of people killed in Gaza at around 34,000.

Netanyahu said the war could end immediately if Hamas surrendered, but warned that otherwise Israel would not stop its attack until complete victory was achieved.

“This war can end now. “All that needs to happen is for Hamas to surrender, lay down its weapons and release all the hostages,” Netanyahu said. “But if they don’t – if they don’t – we will fight until we achieve complete victory. Total victory. There is no substitute for it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

From the Epoch Times