Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Lebanese government for “sacrificing the peace of its citizens to cover for Hezbollah, which has taken Lebanon hostage for its aggression against Israel.” The condemnation by the Israeli leader followed a tour organized by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry Gebran Bassil, during which Foreign Ambassadors were taken to one of three locations that according to Netanyahu, were used by Hezbollah “to convert inaccurate projectiles into precision guided missiles.” According to Bassil, “Netanyahu claimed to the general assembly of the United Nations on 27th September 2018, that there are three missiles conversion sites near Beirut Airport. It is true that there are many statements made affirming the possession of accurate missiles by Hezbollah, however this does not mean that those missiles are present in the vicinity of Beirut Airport.” In response, the Lebanese Foreign Minister stressed that the Israeli Prime Minister was using the U.N. international podium to manipulate the reality as a prelude to justify Israel’s aggression against Lebanon. In his words, “The prime minister of Israel uses the tribune of the United Nations to justify another violation of UN resolution and to justify another aggression on a sovereign country like Lebanon. Israel who is used to practicing fabrication as a prelude to justify its aggression chose to do it this time from the International legitimacy, and in the presence of all states.” During Netanyahu’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the Israeli Prime Minister accused the Iranian-proxy Hezbollah of deliberately using the innocent people of Beirut as human shields, by establishing its factories in densely populated areas, near Beirut’s international airport. According to him, “In Lebanon, Iran is directing Hezbollah, to build secret sites, to convert inaccurate projectiles into precision guided missiles, missiles that can target deep inside Israel, within an accuracy of 10 meters. Hezbollah listen to this, Hezbollah is deliberately using the innocent people of Beirut as human shields, they have placed three of these conversion sites along Beirut’s international airport. Here is a picture that is worth a thousand missiles.” The Israeli leader went on to show the world leaders, attending the General Assembly, a satellite photograph with alleged locations of the three missile conversion sites. “So, I have a message for Hezbollah today… Israel also knows what you’re doing, Israel knows where you’re doing it, and Israel will not let you get away with it,” said Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu released a statement, in which he accused “Hezbollah (of) brazenly lying to the international community by means of the fraudulent propaganda tour of the Lebanese Foreign Minister, who took ambassadors to the soccer field but refrained from taking them to the nearby underground precision missile production facility.” Netanyahu further urged the ambassadors to ask themselves, why the Lebanese Foreign Ministry waited three days before making the tour – claiming that “Hezbollah always takes care to clean the area at exposed sites.”