‘Take Back Your Country’ from Iran

The speech will be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first address to the Lebanese people, nearly a year after Hezbollah's missile, rocket and drone attacks on cities in northern Israel, and since Israel launched a counterattack three weeks ago. This was his second speech.

The following is the transcript released by the Government Press Office:

This is a message to the Lebanese people.

Remember when your country was called the Pearl of the Middle East?

i will do it.

So what happened to Lebanon? A gang of tyrants and terrorists destroyed it. That's what happened.

Lebanon was once known for its tolerance and beauty.

Today it is a place of confusion, a place of war.

Israel withdrew from Lebanon 25 years ago.

However, the country that actually conquered Lebanon was not Israel. It's Iran. Iran funds and arms Hezbollah to serve Iran's interests at the expense of Lebanon.

Hezbollah has turned Lebanon into a stockpile of ammunition and weapons and a forward military base for Iran.

Just a day after the October 7 massacre a year ago, Hezbollah joined the war against Israel.

Since then, it has fired more than 8,000 missiles into Israel, killing civilians including Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze alike.

Israel has decided to put an end to this. We are determined to do whatever it takes to get people back home safely.

Israel has the right to defend itself. Israel has a right to win too! And Israel will win!

We have degraded Hezbollah's capabilities. We have eliminated thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself, Nasrallah's successors, and his successors' successors.

Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it has been for many years.

The Lebanese people are now at a critical crossroads.

It's your choice.

Now you can take back your country. We can return to the path of peace and prosperity.

Otherwise, Hezbollah will continue to try to fight Israel from populated areas at your expense.

I don't care if Lebanon becomes embroiled in a broader war.

Christians, Druze, Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites, all of you are suffering because of Hezbollah's futile war against Israel.

Today I ask every mother and father in Lebanon a simple question.

Is it worth it? Because it doesn't have to be.

I understand that you want a better future for your children.

So I'm going to talk to you today.

There's a better way.

A better way for your children, your city, your village, your country.

You have the right to return Lebanon to normal times. You deserve a different Lebanon.

One country, one flag, one people.

Don't let these terrorists destroy your future more than ever.

Let's stand up and take back our country.

You have an opportunity that hasn't existed in decades.

This is your chance to protect the future of your children and grandchildren.

You have a chance to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that brings destruction and suffering like the one seen in Gaza. It doesn't have to be that way.

Each person can take a step toward their future.

Even if it's just a small step.

You can make a difference.

Dear Lebanese people, I say this.

Free your country from Hezbollah to end this war.

Free your country from Hezbollah, allow your country to prosper again, and ensure that the future children of Lebanon and Israel will know neither war nor bloodshed, and ultimately coexist in peace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has implicitly acknowledged that Nasrallah's successor, Hashim Saffieddin, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, as his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also acknowledged earlier in the day. It was.