Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had killed a top Hezbollah leader, Hashem Safieddine, who has not been seen since October 3, in a message he delivered to the Lebanese people urging them to oust the Iranian proxy group from their country.
“We have degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities; we took out thousands of terrorists, including [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah himself, and Nasrallah’s replacement, and the replacement of his replacement,” Netanyahu stated.
רה"מ נתניהו: "חיסלנו את נסראללה עצמו, את היורש של נסראללה, ואת היורש של היורש של נסראללה"@ItayBlumental @gilicohen10 (צילום: רועי אברהם, לע"מ) pic.twitter.com/m2AKJXTVCZ
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 8, 2024
"Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it has been for many many years,” he stressed in an unusual English language video.
Netanyahu called on the Lebanese people to save their country by ousting the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah, a non-state actor which he explained had destroyed Lebanon, which had once been known as the “Perl” of the Middle East.
“So, what happened to Lebanon? A gang of tyrants and terrorists destroyed it. That's what happened.
“Lebanon was once known for its tolerance, for its beauty.
Today, it's a place of chaos, a place of war,” Netanyahu stated.
“You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering, as we see in Gaza. It doesn't have to be that way,” Netanyahu said.
'Free your country from Hezbollah'
“I say to you, the people of Lebanon: Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end,” Netanyahu stated,
“Free your country from Hezbollah so that your country can prosper again so that future generations of Lebanese and Israeli children will know neither war nor bloodshed but will finally live together in peace,” he said.
Netanyahu spoke as Israel has significantly expanded the scope of its military activity against Hezbollah in Lebanon in the last weeks.