Netanyahu criticises Western leaders amid calls for arms embargo

Jerusalem: Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has attacked French President Emmanuel Macron for calling in a recent radio interview to stop arming Israel for its operations in Gaza and asserting that all "civilised" nations ought to be firmly supporting Israel in its struggle against the forces of "barbarism led by Iran".

Macron and other Western leaders are "now calling for arms embargoes against Israel", Netanyahu said in a recorded video address on Saturday, and asserted that Israel "will win with or without their support".

"But their shame will continue long after the war is won," he added.

Netanyahu said that Israel is defending itself on seven fronts against the "enemies of civilization" today.

"Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. This axis of terror stands together. But countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel," he said.

Netanyahu also said that the Israeli army has destroyed a significant portion of Hezbollah's missile and rocket capabilities.

He said that the Israeli forces are dismantling the Lebanese group's tunnel system near the border. "While the threat has not been fully eliminated, we have shifted the balance of the conflict," he said. "About a month ago, as we neared the end of dismantling Hamas battalions in Gaza, we began fulfilling the promise I made to the residents of northern Israel."

Since September 23, the Israeli army has intensified its airstrikes against Hezbollah across Lebanon, resulting in significant civilian casualties and displacing residents from many areas. The airstrikes have also targeted and killed key Hezbollah leaders, including the group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah. In addition, Israel has launched what it describes as a "limited" ground operation in Lebanon.

These escalations have exacerbated ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, prompting retaliatory fire and airstrikes by Israel in southeastern Lebanon.

With inputs from IANS