"We paged Hezbollah, and they got message": Israeli PM Netanyahu at UNGA 80 amid walkouts, protests

New York [US], September 26 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the proceedings on Friday as the first speaker on the fourth day of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

His address came as the General Debate resumed in New York, with protests in solidarity with Palestine taking place outside the UN headquarters.

As Netanyahu took the stage, several delegates walked out in protest. Setting the tone for what was expected to be a combative speech, he began by addressing "the families of our dear hostages languishing in the dungeons of Gaza."

In a familiar move seen in past UNGA appearances, Netanyahu held up a map which he said illustrated "Iran's terror axis." He then went on to outline Israeli operations across the region, including targeted strikes and assassinations, and claimed Israel had reshaped the Middle East.

Referring to a recent operation in Lebanon, Netanyahu remarked, "You remember those beepers, the pagers, we paged Hezbollah, and believe me, they got the message."

The Israeli leader, who faces an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant over alleged war crimes, spoke of the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, senior Hamas operatives, Houthi leaders and Iranian scientists. He also took credit for the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, though he did not refer to the rebel offensive that led to Assad's fall.

Netanyahu's arrival in New York drew demonstrations backing Palestine as he prepared to deliver his address at the annual debate. Alongside him, Friday's line-up of speakers at UNGA 80 included leaders from Pakistan, China, Ireland and Greece.

In parallel with Netanyahu's appearance at the UN, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) launched a public diplomacy campaign in New York, featuring dozens of massive billboards and mobile trucks emblazoned with the message "Remember October 7," strategically placed around the United Nations headquarters and the bustling Times Square.

The effort was aimed at underscoring the horrors of the Hamas-led attacks and the ongoing plight of 48 hostages held captive in Gaza.

The initiative, spearheaded by the PMO and the Prime Minister's spokesperson unit ahead of Netanyahu's UNGA 80 address, was intended to jolt world leaders and the global public into confronting the brutality of Hamas.

"Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister's Office and the PM's Spokesperson's unit have initiated a public diplomacy campaign in New York on dozens of huge billboards and trucks around the UN building and in Times Square," the Israeli PMO said in a post on X.

"The goal of the campaign is to remind world leaders and the public about the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and the unbelievable brutality of the terrorist organisation that continues to hold 48 hostages in captivity in Gaza," it added.

Each billboard and truck prominently displayed the English slogan "Remember October 7," accompanied by a QR code that, when scanned, directed users to a dedicated website hosting documentation of the October 7 attack in 2023, in which Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and more than 200 individuals.

"The public diplomacy front has been significantly strengthened during the current visit of the Prime Minister and his delegation," the PMO added. (ANI)

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