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A defiant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday, saying “we are winning”, as Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza and as it carries out strikes in Lebanon.
Dozens of delegates walked out of the General Assembly hall in advance of Mr Netanyahu's speech. His presence in New York has been met with several protests throughout the city.
In perhaps the most anticipated speech of the General Assembly, he sought to portray Israel as a force for good, and called out leaders who had spoken against Israel's aggression in Gaza and more recently in Lebanon, where it has engaged in strikes against Hezbollah in recent days.
“In this battle between good and evil, there must be no equivocation – when you stand with Israel, you stand for your own values and your own interests,” he said.
Mr Netanyahu also directly addressed Iran, which supports Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran: if you strike us, we will strike you,” he said. “There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. And that's true of the entire Middle East.”
The Israeli leader, who often uses props when speaking to the public, brought posters with him to the General Assembly Hall as well as several family members of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
At one point in his speech, Mr Netanyahu asked the hostage family members to stand and vowed to bring their loved ones back.
“We will return your loved ones home,” he said. “We will not spare that effort until this holy mission is accomplished.”
Mr Netanyahu also addressed Lebanon in his speech, saying Israel would continue to “degrade” the threat of Hezbollah in the country “until all our objectives are made”.
“As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their home safely – and that's exactly what we're doing,” he said, referring to the thousands of Israelis who have fled to the south amid cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah.
He made no mention of a possible ceasefire with Hezbollah. Israel on Thursday rejected a proposal put forward by the US, France and other countries calling for a 21-day pause in fighting.
But in a post on X before his speech, he said Israeli officials have met to discuss US proposals for a ceasefire and will continue talks in the coming day.
About 630 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon this week, with Monday the deadliest day for the country since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990. Even as Mr Netanyahu was speaking, Israeli forces were conducting a massive strike in southern Beirut, saying they were targeting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. His fate was not immediately known.
Mr Netanyahu invoked the poem Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in his effort to portray Israel’s war efforts as worthy and righteous.
“Israel will not go gently into that good night. We will never need to rage against the dying of the light, because the torch of Israel will forever shine bright,” the Israeli leader said as he concluded his 35-minute speech.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that shockwaves from the unprecedented death and destruction in Gaza could plunge the region into a full-scale conflict with “unimaginable consequences”.
“Monday was the bloodiest day in Lebanon since 2006,” Mr Guterres told the UN Security Council. “War in Lebanon could lead to further escalation involving outside powers.”
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, meanwhile, warned that the region is in a “zone of real danger”.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Mr Safadi said “anything can go wrong”, claiming that Mr "Netanyahu obviously wants regional war".
“If there's a land invasion into Lebanon, the Lebanese army will have to defend the country. And then what are we going to be looking at?"
