At UN, Netanyahu says Israel to continue Lebanon strikes until 'objectives' met

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that Israel will “continue degrading Hezbollah” until all its “objectives” are met.

“As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely,” Netanyahu said in an annual speech at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

“Enough is enough. We won't rest until our residents return safely to their homes,” he added.

“Israel must … defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he said.

Netanyahu's office had said overnight that Israel "shares the aims" of a U.S.-led initiative for achieving a ceasefire on Lebanon, after remarks by him and other Israeli officials appeared to pour cold water on the proposal hours earlier.

"Due to a lot of misreporting around the U.S.-led ceasefire initiative, it is important to clarify a few points. Earlier this week, the United States shared with Israel its intention to put forward, together with other international and regional partners, a ceasefire proposal in Lebanon," Netanyahu's office said.

"Israel shares the aims of the U.S.-led initiative of enabling people along our northern border to return safely and securely to their homes. Israel appreciates the U.S. efforts in this regard because the U.S. role is indispensable in advancing stability and security in the region," it added.

"Our teams met (Thursday, Sept. 26) to discuss the U.S. initiative and how we can advance the shared goal of returning people safely to their homes. We will continue those discussions in the coming days," Netanyahu's office said, referring to to talks in New York with U.S. officials.