In his first address since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday addressed the ongoing escalation in Lebanon. Speaking during a news conference, the Israeli PM stated that it will move to disarm Hezbollah, a Iran backed militant group, “on the ground” if Beirut failed to do so.
“I told the Lebanese government a few days ago: you are playing with fire if you continue allowing Hezbollah to operate, in violation of your commitment to disarm it,” Netanyahu told a press conference.
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The Israeli PM added that Hezbollah will pay a “heavy price” for targeting Israel.
As the conflict between US-Israel and Iran spreads to the larger Gulf region, Israeli war jets were spotted over Beirut in southern Lebanon.
The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah renewed after the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes in Tehran.
Hezbollah launched rocket and drone attacks towards northern Israel in a retaliatory move.
Speaking at the conference, the Likud leader further urged Lebanon to move to disarm Hezbollah “now”.
“If you do not do so, it is clear that we will do so,” Netanyahu added further.
Netanyahu says Iran ‘not the same’
Netanyahu also issued a veiled threat to kill Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. He added that Tehran was “no longer the same” after nearly two weeks of US-Israeli air bombardment in the country.
“I wouldn’t issue life insurance policies on any of the leaders of the terrorist organization … I don’t intend to give an exact message here about what we are planning or what we are going to do,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying.
Speaking to reporters via a video link, Netanyahu further added that Israel had achieved “great achievements which will change the balance of power in the region.”
The Israeli PM added that Iran stood as the greatest threat to Israel, stating that they are now in “historic times”.