Netanyahu says Israel "settled the score" with Nasrallah's assassination

(Patria) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel had "settled the score" with the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in Beirut, AFP reported.

"We settled the score with those responsible for the murder of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of Frenchmen," he said in his first statement after Nasrallah's death on Friday.

Netanyahu said that as long as the "terrorist" Nasrallah was alive, he could "quickly restore
capabilities that we have eroded in Hezbollah" in a series of recent operations.

"So, I gave the order and Nasrallah is no longer with us."

The Israeli Prime Minister said his country was on the verge of "what appears to be a historic
turning point" in the fight against its "enemies".

According to Netanyahu, who faces increasing criticism at home and abroad for his war policy after nearly a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip, the assassination of the Hezbollah leader was essential to achieving Israel's goals.

Netanyahu said Nasrallah's death could help achieve "the safe return of residents of the north to their homes and a long-term change in the balance of power in the region".