Netanyahu Warns of Another Lebanese Tragedy

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu started by conveying good news from the Middle East in the form of the recent peace agreements Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

But later he moved on to issue a warning for the people of Beirut in Lebanon, saying that another deadly blast is possible because Hezbollah is maintaining a secret arms depot in the city next to a gas installation in the Janah neighbourhood, near Beirut’s International Airport.

Arms depot location on satellite view of Beirut

He called on the Lebanese people to protest and demand the removal of this arms depot before another terrible explosion takes place. He even went on to show what he claims is the entrance to the Hezbollah depot – a missile factory right next to a gas supply facility.

Netanyahu showing photo of missile factory building

The Israeli Prime Minister’s revelation could trigger US sanctions against Hezbollah for using human shields. The authors of the 2018 “Sanctioning the Use of Civilians as Defenceless Shield Act” say that this behaviour by Hezbollah falls within the remit of this law, which should lead to sanctions against the group for a war crime in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Republican Representative Mike Gallagher tweeted that:

“following @IsraeliPM`s UNGA speech, there can be no doubt that Hezbollah is using civilians as human shields.
It’s past time for the Treasury Department to impose sanctions – mandated by my bill, the Shields Act –
on anyone complicit in these war crimes.”

Here is the Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech presented on YouTube: