We must not allow Iran to rebuild their nuclear ability: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his UNGA address on Friday (September 26), showed a "curse map" and said, "Iran threaten the stability of the region and existence of my country. Iran is massively developing nuclear programme and ballistic missiles - not only Israel but also blackmail everywhere."

The Israeli PM said that his army has "hammered" the Iran-backed Houthis, crushed the bulk of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and cripples Hezbollah. “During the last decade, We devastated the atomic weapons and ballistic missile programme of Iran,” Netanyahu said. He said that Iran “must” be stopped from rebuilding their nuclear ability.

‘Charges of Genocide is baseless’

The Israeli PM accused that every citizen casualty is a tragedy for Israel and a “stategy” for Hamas. He denied the Gaza genocide accusation and called it “baseless”.

He even said that if Gazans do not have food, it’s because Hamas was stealing it. He said that Israel was accused of starving people of Gaza when, in reality, Netanyahu claimed, Israel was feeding them.

“What a joke,” he remarked.

Netanyahu orders to broadcast his UN speech across the Gaza Strip

Netanyahu's office ordered the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to install loudspeakers across the Gaza Strip to broadcast the PM's speech to its residents. However, the IDF, according to Channel 12, has opposed the order, highlighting that it would require soldiers to leave their posts. They will have to enter the areas in the Strip that could put them at risk, as Hamas could target them. Despite this, the Haaretz newspaper reported that the IDF will still obey the PMO's order and has also started preparations to broadcast Netanyahu’s speech across Gaza.

One of the IDF members told Haaretz that the move is an act of psychological warfare for Gazans. Netanyahu's speech will also revolve around the Western recognition of an independent Palestinian state.

Netanyahu’s plane avoids French, Spanish airspace while flying to US

Netanyahu, who left Tel Aviv on Wednesday (September 24) for his US visit, takes precautions while flying. His aircraft took an unusual route to avoid flying over French and Spanish airspace. Although, according to FlightRadar24, the flight briefly overflew Greece and Italy. It was an attempt to avoid being arrested, as both countries have issued an arrest warrant for him for his alleged war crimes.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has not publicly said why it took the unusual route, and CNN has approached it for comment. It came two weeks after the Israeli PM's office said that some journalists and members of Netanyahu’s entourage would not accompany him for “technical arrangements related to seating and security.”

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reported that the avoidance of French and Spanish airspace was a way of compensating for the additional fuel required.

An i24 News report alleged, however, that officials decided to keep the number of people aboard the flight to a minimum, thus excluding journalists, to save fuel for what was expected to be a longer flight.