Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed the UN General Assembly on Friday afternoon. Notably, the Israeli prime minister began his speech by saying that he did not “intend to go” to the General Assembly this year, as his country is at war “fighting for its life.”

However, his decision to do so followed what he called “lies and slander” about his country told by others on the podium, he said. He stressed that he ultimately went to “set the record straight” and that Israel was seeking peace.

Indeed, as he took the podium, many leaders left in protest.

“We will not rest until all the hostages are returned”

Netanyahu continued his speech by focusing on some of the attendees who are family members of the hostages kidnapped on October 7 of last year; he retold the stories of some of these people who were abducted by the kibbutzim and the Nova music festival.

He described what happened on October 7 as “events reminiscent of the Nazi holocaust” and how the bodies were taken to the “Gaza dungeons”. He said that 154 hostages had returned, 117 of them alive. “We will not rest until all the hostages are returned.”

“There is no place in Iran that Israel cannot reach”

Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister referred again to the “curse of October 7,” which he said began when Hamas invaded, but, he noted, “did not end there.” “On October 8, Hezbollah attacked Israel from Lebanon and has since fired more than 8,000 rockets.”

He listed others who have attacked Israel, including the Yemeni Houthis, and said that last April, Iran attacked Israel directly from its territory. “There is no place in Iran where Israel’s ‘long arm’ cannot reach,” he added, adding that this applies to the entire Middle East.

At the same time, he said the UN should “reimpose” sanctions against Iran and “we should all do everything in our power to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.” He stressed that he has warned the world against Iran’s nuclear program, which he said was “delayed” by about a decade but not stopped.

“For the sake of peace and security of the whole world, we must not let it happen,” he said, referring to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. “I have a message for the tyrants in Tehran: If you strike us, we will strike you.”