Netanyahu blasts Macron, other Western leaders who support Israeli arms embargo a ‘disgrace’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed French President Emmanuel Macron and other Western leaders on Saturday who he said had called for an arms embargo on Israel over its airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza. 

“As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side, yet President Macron and other western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them, “Netanyahu said in a statement. 

He continued, “Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. This axis of terror stands together, but countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel.”

Netanyahu called their stance a “disgrace,” adding that Israel would win “with or without their support, but their shame will continue long after the war is won.”

He said, “in defending ourselves against this barbarism, Israel is defending civilization against those who seek to impose a dark age of fanaticism on all of us. Rest assured, Israel will fight until the battle is won – for our sake and for the sake of peace and security in the world.”

Netanyahu noted that Israel is defending itself on seven different fronts, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, terrorists in Judea and Samaria and Iran. 

On Saturday, Macron said France would no longer supply arms to Israel, although the country will continue to send missile defense equipment.

“I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,” Macron said in an interview, according to Euro News. 

Also on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had raided and dismantled a Hezbollah underground command complex in Lebanon. 

“The troops entered a terror tunnel about 250 meters long, located about 300 meters from the border and not crossing into Israeli territory,” IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a press conference.

He said a kitchenette and rooms that allowed for extended stays underground along with weapons and command rooms were found inside the complex. 

“These compounds were intended to be used by Hezbollah terrorists in an attack on the communities of the Galilee,” he said. “This tunnel did not cross into our territory, and yesterday we destroyed it.”

The U.S. continues to supply Israel with arms, although President Biden has spoken out against the country’s approach to its war with Gaza where tens of thousands of civilians have died. 

 “I think what he’s doing is a mistake,” Biden said in August, while continuing to call for a cease-fire. “I don’t agree with his approach.” 

This week in a surprise appearance at a White House press briefing, Biden, in answering a reporter, said he wasn’t sure if Netanyahu was holding off on a cease-fire to influence the November election. 

“Whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know – but I’m not counting on that,” Biden said. “No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none, and I think he should remember that.”