Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Jewish nation had “settled its score” by killing Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah.
On Saturday, the Israeli military confirmed that they managed to kill the militant group’s chief following their strikes in Beirut. The death marked the end of the 37-year-long reign of Nasrallah over the Lebanese militant group.
While several nations hailed Israel for killing a “terrorist”, Iran vowed to take revenge for the assassination. Amid all the chaos, many expressed concerns about whether the Middle East crisis is spiralling down.
“We settled the score with the one responsible for the murder of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French,” Netanyahu said in his first statement since Nasrallah’s death.
Israel launched strikes in Lebanon after Netanyahu in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, dismissed the ceasefire proposal and insisted that Israel will keep on fighting.
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During his recent address, which came a day after the Hezbollah chief’s death, Netanyahu alluded to the 1983 bombings in Beirut that killed 63 people at the US embassy and 241 US marines and 58 French paratroopers at their barracks.
The Israeli Prime Minister said that as long as the “terrorist” (Nasrallah) was alive, he would quickly restore the capabilities we had eroded from Hezbollah in a series of recent operations. “So, I gave the order – and Nasrallah is no longer with us,” he remarked.
Commenting on the wider conflict in the Middle East, the Israeli premier insisted that his country is at the cusp of “what appears to be a historic turning point in the fight against its enemies”.
Netanyahu, who has been facing criticism over his aggressive war policy at home and around the world, stated that the killing of the Hezbollah leader was essential for Israel to achieve its overall goal.
“Nasrallah’s elimination is a necessary condition for achieving the goals we set: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes and the long-term alteration of the balance of power in the region,” he said. Netanyahu emphasised that the killing of Nasrallah would also help facilitate the return of hostages seized by Hamas during the October 7 attack.
“The more (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar sees that Hezbollah will no longer come to his aid, the greater the chances of returning our captives,” the Israeli leader averred. “We are winning. We are determined to continue striking our enemies, returning our residents to their homes and bringing back all our hostages. We do not forget them for a moment,” he added.
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