Netanyahu Defends Iran Strike at U.N.

Dozens of delegates walked out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached the podium at the U.N. General Assembly, while supporters in the gallery cheered. Netanyahu called the departing delegates “moral cowards,” defended Israel’s military actions, and said striking Iran’s nuclear facilities was one of the easiest decisions he had made as prime minister. He rejected allegations of genocide and war crimes and attacked New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has accused him of genocide and called him a war criminal. The speech came amid international criticism of Israel’s campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon and ahead of an Israeli election. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel’s conduct in Gaza and urged recognition of a Palestinian state; French President Emmanuel Macron criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of peace and highlighted limited humanitarian access to Gaza. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not yield to threats but remained open to negotiations while maintaining its peaceful nuclear program; Hamas said it was ready to advance a proposed Gaza peace roadmap without addressing disarmament, and a U.N., World Bank and EU estimate put Gaza’s reconstruction needs at 71 billion euros, with about 1 billion euros raised.