UNITED NATIONS (AP) His leadership strained by conflicts on two fronts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders at the United Nations on Friday that his nation will continue degrading Hezbollah until achieving its goals along the Lebanon border, further dimming hopes for an internationally backed cease-fire to halt the spiral into an all-out regional war. He said his government would no longer tolerate daily rocket fire from the area.

Shortly after Netanyahu wrapped up his speech, the Israeli military said it carried out a strike on Hezbollahs headquarters in Beirut , which caused huge blasts in the city. A couple hours after that, he announced he was cutting his trip short and departing for Israel on Friday night.

Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their home safely. And thats exactly what were doing ... well continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met, Netanyahu said to a gallery that at least from the crowd noise appeared replete with his supporters.

Just imagine if terrorists turned El Paso and San Diego into ghost towns ... How long would the American government tolerate that? he said, shaking his fist in emphasis. Yet Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for almost a year. Well, Ive come here today to say: Enough is enough.

Netanyahu, armed with visual aids as he has been in the past, defended his nations response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that triggered an Israeli military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip. He said he traveled to the United Nations to refute the untruths he had heard from other leaders on the same rostrum earlier in the week.