The objective was to annihilate the main militia leader Hassan Nasrallah // They protest against the premier in New York; 32 protesters arrested
▲ The suburbs of Beirut were shaken yesterday by attacks by Israeli troops against the military group Hezbollah, in an attempt to eliminate its main leader Hassan Nasrallah.Photo Ap
Rachel Hagan, Bel Trew
The Independent
La Jornada Newspaper
Saturday, September 28, 2024, p. 17
United Nations. A defiant Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel seeks total victory against the Iran-backed militant groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He even warned Tehran: There is no room that the military resources of his country cannot reach.
Faced with growing pressure on the need for a ceasefire on the Israeli-Lebanese border and continued calls for a truce in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister presented at the United Nations General Assembly in New York a grandiose defense of their actions, with fierce rhetoric and without any mention of ending any of the conflicts.
He firmly rejected Western pressure for a truce with Hezbollah and declared: We are winning. As if to prove it – not long after he finished his speech – Beirut was rocked by explosions and the Israeli army announced that it had launched an attack on Hezbollah headquarters.
Six residential buildings demolished
As the explosion sent huge clouds of black and orange smoke into the sky, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the base was under six residential buildings. Israeli media reported that the target of the attacks was Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah; However, he is still alive, a source close to the group told the Reuters news agency; The Israeli military did not comment on this version.
The offensive on Beirut was approved by Netanyahu from his hotel in New York, moments before giving his speech to the UN, according to an image released by his office in which the president appears, accompanied by his military secretary and his chief of staff, giving the green light to the bombing, reported The Times of Israel.
In the early hours of yesterday, a dozen Israeli attacks killed at least 25 people in different parts of Lebanese territory, including a family of nine, authorities reported, bringing the number of victims in the country this week to 720. .
Among them, the Israeli army claimed that it killed the commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit, Muhammad Ali Ismail, and his deputy, Hossein Ahmed Ismail.
One woman, who did not want to be named, said she lost an uncle and his entire family, including his wife and three daughters, in an attack in the south of the country.
The Lebanese declared The Independing: “I also have other friends among the fatalities… Another complete family, a friend from my childhood school with his wife and three daughters. “They all died, and also his sister, who was with us at school.”
Lebanon is also facing a wave of tens of thousands of people fleeing their homes due to the possibility of a full-scale war.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the hospitals in the Beirut area bombed yesterday will be evacuated and their patients transferred to other centers and must stop receiving non-urgent cases.
Netanyahu began his speech at the UN Assembly by stating that he was motivated to address a message to the United Nations about the lies and slander spread by other world leaders, and that sought put things straight. His most severe warnings were directed at Iran – whose delegation was absent – which he described as the puppeteer behind the violence.
There is no place in Iran that Israel’s long line cannot reachhe warned. And that also goes throughout the Middle East. Far from being lambs led to the slaughter, Israeli soldiers have fought back with incredible courage.
They leave the United Nations room
Delegations from several nations left the venue while the 74-year-old ruler spoke, addressing those cheering him from the gallery, where some relatives of Israeli hostages were present. I have another message for this assembly and for the world beyond this room: we are winninghe assured.
Netanyahu’s defiance comes in the face of growing demands for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, along with continued calls for a truce in Gaza. In an earlier statement, Netanyahu’s office said talks on pausing hostilities and releasing hostages would continue. in the next few days. But there is little sign of this in the prime minister’s speech.
The Israeli army reported carrying out dozens of strikes yesterday in the southern regions of Lebanon, including the cities of Sidon and Nabatiyeh. The offensives targeted Hezbollah’s rocket launchers and other military infrastructure. According to Netanyahu’s troops, the armed group responded by launching a barrage of rockets toward the northern Israeli city of Tiberias.
Washington warned that a further escalation would complicate efforts to return civilians on both sides to their homes. Netanyahu declared in the assembly that the Israeli military campaign will persist: We will continue to weaken Hezbollah until our objectives are met.
He called the United Nations a house of darkness and a swamp of anti-Semitic bileand maintained that Israel should be treated with the same justice as other nations.
Meanwhile, several protests took place throughout the day: a march stopped traffic in Manhattan. Participants demanded Netanyahu’s arrest for his actions in Palestine and Lebanon. “There is no place for war criminals in New York!” read one of the banners. There were at least 32 detainees for disturb public order in New York.
© The Independent
Translation: Jorge Anaya
