Israeli UN Ambassador Danon says conflict will end when Hezbollah no longer threatens residents in north

Israel’s new UN Ambassador Danny Danon blasted the Iranian-backed terror proxy Hezbollah for disregarding the lives of Israeli and Lebanese civilians and threatening regional stability.

“Their disregard for civilian life not only threatens Israel but holds the people of Lebanon hostage in their own country, pushing the entire region toward conflict and chaos for everyone’s sake,” Danon stated.

Speaking to reporters outside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City on Tuesday, Danon displayed a large photo of a Hezbollah rocket being stored in a private Lebanese home, aimed at Israeli communities across the border.

Israel Defense Forces recently unveiled images showing Hezbollah forces systematically storing its weaponry in Lebanese homes.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon speaking to reporters outside the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 24, 2024. (Photo: Screenshot)

(Image: Israeli National Public Diplomacy Directorate)

Danon stressed that the State of Israel prefers a diplomatic solution to the Hezbollah attacks but is prepared to act by “using other methods to show the other side that we mean business.”

He reiterated the Israeli government’s primary goal of ensuring the safe return of around 60,000 Israelis who have been evacuated from their homes in northern Israel due to Hezbollah’s ongoing rocket attacks.

“We will do whatever necessary to bring the residents back to the North. If nothing will help, then the goal of any operation is to achieve peace,” the Israeli ambassador said.

בהצהרתי לתקשורת הבינלאומית הצגתי תמונה של טיל חיזבאללה שהוסתר בתוך בית אזרחי בדרום לבנון. הבהרתי: זה פשע מלחמה כפול! חיזבאללה משתמש באזרחים בלבנון כדי לפגוע באזרחי ישראל. נמשיך בלחימה כנגד ארגון הטרור הזה עד שנוכל לאפשר את חזרתם של אזרחי ישראל לצפון.
צפו >> pic.twitter.com/bZKhs226Nd
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) September 24, 2024

He said the Israeli government is paying attention to Washington’s concerns about a potentially expanded regional conflict with Iranian-support terror proxies.

Danon emphasized that Israel has no territorial dispute with the State of Lebanon and that the conflict could end if Hezbollah stops threatening northern Israeli communities.

“If they would not fire rockets into Israel, we will be able to bring our residents back to the communities,” he assessed. “That’s it. There'd be no escalation.”

Danon blasted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks at the UNGA, comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to World War II German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, calling it “shameful” and “beyond imagination.”

The Israeli UN envoy recently traded barbs with Lebanon’s caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, who accused the Jewish state of aggression against Lebanon while ignoring the Hezbollah attacks on Israel.

"A rogue entity that disregards international legal decisions cannot be allowed to continue evading accountability," Bou Habib claimed.

Danon responded by criticizing the Lebanese government for failing to prevent Hezbollah from using Lebanese territory, including private homes, to launch aggression against Israel.

“Mr. Bou Habib, you allowed a terrorist organization to build a state within a state and wreak havoc on your people. Instead of blaming your peace-loving neighbor, the time has come to take action and curb Hezbollah, which is the only way to prevent further escalation,” Danon stated.

He urged the international community to pressure the Lebanese government to act against the Hezbollah terror group. However, Hezbollah has more military power than the nation's conventional army, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and will unlikely have much influence or ability to negotiate with the terror group.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that Hezbollah is officially part of the Lebanese government.

Meanwhile, the international community has continued to advocate for the implementation of a two-state solution as a long-term path to peace in the Middle East.

Danon, who is considered to be a political hawk, blasted the Palestinian Authority (PA) for refusing to condemn the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza for the Oct. 7 invasion and terror attack.

“On the contrary, we see ministers in his government that support and celebrate what we have endured,” Danon stated. “So I think it requires leadership in order to move forward for a peace agreement between us and the Palestinians,” said during his speech at the UNGA on Tuesday.