Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, September 27 condemned Iran and defended Israel’s attacks on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon and Gaza in a United Nations speech.
“Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year. Well, I’ve come here today to say enough is enough,” Netanyahu told the U.N. General Assembly, referring to escalating violence between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel.
Several delegations walked out as Netanyahu approached the lectern while supporters in the gallery cheered.
“My country is at war, fighting for its life,” he said. “We must defend ourselves against these savage murderers. Our enemies seek not only to destroy us, they seek to destroy our common civilization and return all of us to a dark age of tyranny and terror,” he said.
In southern Lebanon, Israel on Friday, continued to strike Hezbollah targets while diplomats at the U.N. feared the attacks could grow into an all-out regional war.
In his speech, Netanyahu blamed Iran for the conflict. He said Israel was defending itself against Tehran on seven fronts, including against Hamas in Gaza.
“There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. And that’s true of the entire Middle East. Far from being lambs led to the slaughter, Israel soldiers have fought back with incredible courage,” Netanyahu said. “I have another message for this assembly and for the world outside this hall: We are winning,” he said.
Even as the US warned that further escalation would make it harder for civilians on both sides to return home, Netanyahu insisted that Israel’s campaign would continue.
We’ll continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are made,” he told the U.N. assembly. “I call on the Security Council to snap back U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran, because we must all do everything in our power to ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said.
A Security Council resolution, which enshrined the nuclear deal and provided the power to restore U.N. sanctions, expires in October 2025.
Netanyahu also reiterated his earlier vows that Israel would block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Iran now seeks to weaponize its nuclear program for the sake of the peace and security of all your countries, and I assure you, Israel will do everything in its power to make sure it doesn’t happen.”“We’ll fight until we achieve victory, total victory, there is no substitute for it,” he said.
During the speech, he cited the presence of families of hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7. The war began when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel’s military has levelled swaths of the besieged Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing more than 41,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the speech.
“Netanyahu’s speech is full of lies and contradictions, and the withdrawal of many delegations from the hall is a message that Netanyahu’s lies are no longer believed by anyone,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters. “Netanyahu’s call for Hamas to surrender is nonsense; surrender is not in the movement’s vocabulary, and the problem lies in the existence of the occupation, not with those who are defending themselves,” Abu Zuhri said.
