Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel's attacks on Iranian-backed fighters during his first speech at the UN General Assembly after the Gaza war, Reuters reported. He displayed two maps, showing a group of countries as "The Curse" and another as "The Blessing", but both the maps showed Palestinian territories – the West Bank and Gaza -- as part of Israel.
Netanyahu said the world must choose between a "blessing" and a "curse". Countries which were shown as "blessings" on the map include Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and India.
"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 homes safely," he said, adding, "Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year. Well, I've come here today to say enough is enough."
He said Israel was defending itself against Iran on seven fronts, including against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen. Iran's delegation was absent from the speech. "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," Netanyahu said.
The war began on October 7 last year when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killed around 1,200 people and held about 250 hostages in Gaza.
Condemning the speech, Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said it was "full of lies". "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," he added.