Live updates: Protests erupt in Washington DC after Netanyahu addresses US Congress

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Benjamin
Netanyahu’s speech started with a mention of what he described as Iran’s “Axis
of Terror” which, he said, threatened the US, Israel and the Arab world,
framing it as a “clash of barbarism against civilisations”.

“We will win,” he
added, to raucous applause from the chamber.

It was a play
with what Iran describes as “Axis of Resistance”, an alliance across the Middle
East that includes not only Hamas but also Hezbollah here in Lebanon and the
Houthis in Yemen. These groups have been behind multiple attacks against Israel
since October, saying their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in
Gaza.

Netanyahu
returned to Iran later in his speech, repeating some familiar lines, saying the
country was “virtually behind all terrorism, turmoil, chaos and killing” in the
Middle East.

He then tried to link Israel’s fight with America’s own interests:
when Israel acted against Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, he added, it was
fighting Iran and “not only protecting ourselves [but] protecting you,” referring
to the US.

Since the
Hamas attacks, there have been fears of a regional conflict, in particular
because of tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border. Near-daily attacks by
Hezbollah, the powerful militia and political party, and Israel’s
counter-attacks, have displaced tens of thousands of residents and killed
people in both countries.

Israeli
authorities have faced pressure to act against the heavily armed Hezbollah,
which has an arsenal that includes precision-guided missiles capable of
striking deep inside Israel. Netanyahu, again, said he preferred a diplomatic
solution to the crisis but that Israel would do “what it must” to restore
safety along the border and return people to their homes.

In crisis-hit
Lebanon, many fear Hezbollah may be dragging the country to another war. Hassan
Nasrallah, the group’s long-time leader, has repeatedly said Hezbollah does not
want an all-out war with Israel, but that it is ready for one. And so, concerns
persist that the fighting could become, deliberately or by accident, a wider
conflict.