Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Iran on Friday, asserting that Israel will retaliate if attacked and emphasizing that his country has the capability to strike any part of the cleric-led state. Netanyahu made these remarks while vowing to continue the fight in Gaza. 'I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran. If you strike us, we will strike you,' Netanyahu declared at the UN General Assembly. 'There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach, and that's true of the entire Middle East.'
As Netanyahu took the stage for his address, delegates from Lebanon and the Palestinian territories exited the room, reacting with a mix of cheers and angry shouts. 'After I heard the lies and slanders leveled at my country by many of the speakers at this podium, I decided to come here and set the record straight,' Netanyahu stated at the beginning of his speech.
Protesters had gathered outside Netanyahu's hotel in New York prior to his speech, calling for an end to the violence in Gaza and Lebanon. On Wednesday, the United States, France, and other allies proposed a 21-day truce, following discussions between President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The White House confirmed that the ceasefire call had been 'coordinated' with Israel, but Netanyahu's office indicated on Thursday that the prime minister had not yet responded to the proposal. 'It is an American-French proposal, which the prime minister has not even responded to,' a statement from Netanyahu's office read, adding that he had instructed the army 'to continue the fighting with full force.'
Since the Iran-backed group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a deadly exchange of cross-border fire. Netanyahu vowed on Friday that 'Hamas has got to go' and would have no role in the reconstruction of Gaza, pledging to fight until 'total victory.'
Israel has shifted its focus from Gaza to its northern front with Lebanon, where heavy bombing has resulted in the deaths of 700 people and caused an exodus of approximately 118,000. Netanyahu stated that Israel would continue its strikes in Lebanon 'until we meet our objectives.'
The UN reported on Friday that a 'catastrophic' intensification of Israeli attacks targeting Hezbollah militants had plunged Lebanon into its 'deadliest period... in a generation.' Lebanese authorities estimate that the Israeli strikes have brought the overall death toll in Lebanon to more than 1,500 people killed in nearly a year of clashes. This toll surpasses the 1,200 mostly civilians killed during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which also resulted in around 160 deaths in Israel, mostly soldiers.
