‘Shame On Them’: Netanyahu Fumes At Arms Embargo Calls, Israel Goes On Alert Ahead Of Hamas Attack Anniversary

Delivering a fiery address ahead of the first anniversary of the Hamas attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called out the “hypocrisy” of Western leaders who, he says, claim to stand against terrorism while seeking to limit Israel’s ability to defend itself, even as Iran continues to arm its proxies in the region.

“Shame on them,” he said, pointing to both France and other Western countries who have called for arms embargoes against Israel. “Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not,” Netanyahu said. “This axis of terror stands together. But countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel. What a disgrace!”

Netanyahu-Macron Spat

Netanyahu’s remarks come as pressure mounts from world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who have expressed concerns over Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Israel has intensified its response after the October 7 attack by Hamas, which left hundreds of Israeli civilians dead.

Macron called Saturday for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza, provoking a sharp response from Netanyahu. He also criticised Netanyahu’s decision to send troops into ground operations in Lebanon. “I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,” Macron told French broadcaster France Inter.

After Netanyahu’s rebuke, Macron’s office stressed that “France is Israel’s steadfast friend.” The Elysee stressed that Macron “supports Israel’s security and demonstrates it.” According to the Times of Israel, Macron’s office stated that France mobilised its military this week during Iran’s missile attack, as it did in April.

October 7 attack anniversary

This spat comes as Israel placed its forces on alert Saturday ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack, after a military official said the country was preparing its retaliation for Iran’s missile attack. The alert came with Israel engaged in an intensifying war with the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said would be hit “without concession or respite”.

Ahead of Monday’s grim anniversary, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a televised briefing: “We are prepared with increased forces in anticipation for this day”, when there could be “attacks on the home front”. The unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.

Focus on Lebanon

One year later, although the war in Gaza continues at a lower tempo, Israel has turned its focus north to Lebanon, where it is now at war with Hezbollah. Massive consecutive strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs from late Saturday into Sunday, Reuters eyewitnesses said, sending booms across the city and sparking flashes of red and white several kilometers away.

The strikes came after days of bombing by Israel of Beirut suburbs considered strongholds for Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, killing its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and possibly his potential successor. A Lebanese security source said on Saturday that Hashem Safieddine, the potential successor, had been out of contact since Friday, after an Israeli airstrike near the city’s international airport that was reported to have targeted him.

‘440 Hezbollah fighters killed

On Sunday, the IDF said it has carried out a series of pinpoint airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in Beirut, including several weapons depots and other terror infrastructure. The strikes were preceded by extensive steps to mitigate civilian harm, including warning about the impending strikes.

The Israeli military accused Hezbollah of placing its arms storage and production sites under residential buildings in the Lebanese capital, endangering the population. Earlier, the Israeli military said it had killed around 440 Hezbollah fighters “from the ground and from the air” since Monday when troops began “targeted” ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel says it aims to allow tens of thousands of Israelis displaced by almost a year of Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel to return home. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called Iran an “ongoing threat” after Tehran, which backs armed groups across the Middle East, on Tuesday launched around 200 missiles at Israel in revenge for Israeli killings of top militant leaders.

(With agency inputs)