Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to strongly criticise New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, while defending Israel’s recent military actions.
In his speech, Netanyahu spoke in support of operations targeting Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. He also took aim at Turkey, France and Britain, according to the remarks reported from the session.
At one point, he displayed a pager device and said it would be familiar to Hezbollah militants, framing it as a warning. Netanyahu said Israel’s forces had fought on “seven fronts” over the past three years and reiterated his pledge to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, calling such capabilities a threat to the world.
Netanyahu accused Iran of seeking to erase Israel from the map and said Israel, alongside the United States, had struck Iran’s military and nuclear facilities. Turning to Mamdani, he objected to what he described as repeated accusations of war crimes and genocide against Israel, insisting Israel had not committed genocide and claiming it had prevented one.
He further alleged that Mamdani had praised people convicted for supporting Hamas and associated with individuals who made controversial remarks about the 9/11 attacks. Netanyahu also cited claims about Mamdani’s family members’ social media activity and said many Jews in New York felt less safe since Mamdani became mayor, adding that attempts to block his UN visit had failed.
