Netanyahu warns foes that Israel's 'long arm' can reach anywhere

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his country's commitment to defend itself in the face of its many enemies and delivered a tough warning to Iran.

"I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran. If you strike us, we will strike you," he said in New York on Friday. "There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach - and that's true of the entire Middle East.

"I have another message for this assembly and for the world outside this hall. We are winning."

In April, Iran fired 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at Israel. The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Jordan stepped in to help Israel and nearly all the drones were intercepted. It was the first direct attack by the Iranian military against Israel.

Iran's so-called "axis of resistance" - proxy militias in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere - have also stepped up their attacks on the Jewish state since the October 7 attacks by Iran-backed Hamas, in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 250 hostage.

Israel responded with an overwhelming air and ground campaign that has killed more than 41,500 people, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities in the Palestinian territory. The numbers do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.