The people of Lebanon should overthrow the armed group to avoid the fate of Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu has warned
Israeli strikes have killed not only Hezbollah’s longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah but also at least two top figures in the armed group’s leadership who could have replaced him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed.
The Jewish state’s leader warned Lebanon that it could face destruction and suffering “like we see in Gaza,” as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) escalated their cross-border ground offensive into Lebanese territory and Israeli airstrikes targeted Beirut on Tuesday.
In a video address to the Lebanese people published on X, Netanyahu called on them to “free” their country from Hezbollah, blaming the armed group for plunging Lebanon into chaos and war by attacking Israel and “killing civilians without distinction.”
“Israel has a right to defend itself,” the Israeli leader reiterated. “We’ve degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities. We’ve taken out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself and his replacement, as well as the replacement of his replacement,” he claimed, without elaborating on the identities of the other two figures.
Israel assassinated the longtime leader of the armed group with an airstrike on Beirut in late September. Last week, the IDF claimed to have also taken out Hezbollah’s Executive Council head Hashem Safieddine, although the armed group has not confirmed his death and denied rumors that he had replaced Nasrallah.
“Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it has been for many years,” Netanyahu said, urging the Lebanese to overthrow the group. “You stand at a crossroads.”
“You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza. It doesn’t have to be that way,” he added.
Hezbollah attacked Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza shortly after the Israeli bombing and siege of the enclave began. West Jerusalem launched its military operation following a Hamas attack that killed around 1,100 people and took more than 200 captives back to Gaza. The IDF bombing and ground operation have devastated large parts of the enclave, killing nearly 42,000 Palestinians to date, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
More than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Lebanon since last October, according to Lebanese authorities on Tuesday. The IDF conducted another 26 airstrikes on Beirut throughout the day, local news reported.
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