Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that there was more "work" to do following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — and threatened Iran with the "long arm of Israel."
"We have great achievements but the work has still not been completed," Netanyahu said in a televised speech, Reuters reported.
Netanyahu said Nasrallah, killed in a Friday airstrike in Beirut, "was not just another terrorist, he was the terrorist. He was the axis of the axis, the main engine of Iran's axis of evil."
"If someone rises up to kill you, kill him first," he said.
Netanyahu also issued a warning to the "ayatollahs' regime" in Iran, that "those who strike at us, we will strike at them," according to the Times of Israel.
"There is nowhere in Iran or the Middle East beyond the reach of the long arm of Israel, and today you know how true that is," he said.
Hezbollah began firing rockets from Lebanon into Israel one day after Hamas launched a series of surprise attacks from Gaza that sparked the latest Mideast war last October 7.
About 60,000 Israelis fled their homes near the Lebanese border, and Netanyahu said he "came to the conclusion" earlier this week that Israeli strikes against Hezbollah weren't enough to ensure their safe return.
Netanyahu also said Nasrallah's death should serve as a message to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, an alleged architect of last year's attacks.
"The more that Sinwar sees that Nasrallah will not be coming to his rescue, the greater are the chances for returning our hostages," Netanyahu said.
A total of 1,030 people — including 156 women and 87 children — have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon in less than two weeks, the country's health minister said Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Israel's military reiterated its warning for Lebanese residents to stay away from Hezbollah combat equipment and facilities and the U.S. State Department issued an alert urging Americans to leave the country, AP said.
