““Israel is on the threshold of a “historic turning point” in the fight against its “enemies””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“We have dealt with the man responsible for the murder of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of Frenchmen,” he said in his first statement since Nasrallah’s death.
He was referring to the 1983 Beirut bombings that killed 63 people at the US Embassy, as well as 241 US Marines and 58 French paratroopers.
Netanyahu said that “as long as the ‘terrorist’ Nasrallah was alive, he could quickly restore the capabilities that Hezbollah lost in a series of recent operations.”
“So, I gave the order – and Nasrallah is no longer with us,” the Israeli president said.
He also stated that “Israel is on the verge of a ‘historic turning point’ in the fight against its ‘enemies.’
According to Netanyahu, “the assassination of the leader of Hezbollah was important for the achievement of Israel’s goals.”
“The removal of Nasrallah is a necessary condition for achieving the goals we have set: the safe return of northerners to their homes and a long-term change in the balance of power in the region,” he said.
According to him, “it will also facilitate the return of hostages captured by Hamas during the October 7 attack and still held in Gaza.”
“We are winning. We are determined to continue striking our enemies, returning our residents to their homes and returning all our hostages. We do not forget them for a minute,” Netanyahu emphasized.
The killing of the leader of Hezbollah, recognized as a terrorist organization in the United States, Hassan Nasrallah during an airstrike on the capital of Lebanon will lead to the “destruction” of Israel, said the first vice president of Iran, Mohammad Reza Aref, on September 28.
Israel’s military launched new strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in the early hours of September 28, a day after a series of massive bombings in the Beirut suburbs that targeted Nasrallah and other senior figures.
The Pentagon said that Israel did not warn the US about this operation.
Nasrallah-led Hezbollah, designated a terrorist organization by the US but only its paramilitary wing but not a political party by the EU, has forged close ties with other Iranian-backed armed groups, helping to train and arm their fighters.
On September 27, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned at the UN that Israel’s actions against Iran-backed Hezbollah will not stop.
Netanyahu’s speech came amid diplomatic efforts by the United States, France and other Western allies to call for a 21-day ceasefire after fighting escalated this week on the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel is shelling what it says are pro-backed targets. Iran “Hezbollah”.