Watch: Rise up against Hezbollah and take back your country, Netanyahu urges Lebanese

Israeli prime minister issues video message to people of Lebanon and tells them: ‘It is your choice’

Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Lebanese civilians to rise up against Hezbollah and “take back” their country as pressure mounts on Israel over its invasion of Lebanon.
The Israeli prime minister issued a video message to the people of Lebanon, in which he told them: “It is your choice. You can now take back your country. You can return it to a path of peace and prosperity.
“Each of you can take a step for your future. Even a small step. Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end.”
Mr Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli military had killed the would-be successors of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader killed in a strike on Beirut last month.
Although he did not name him, it is thought he was referring to Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s cousin.
The Israeli prime minister had issued a similar statement to the people of Iran last month, telling them that the Iranian regime “doesn’t care” about them.
The message came as more of Israel’s allies, including the UK and France, called for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Around one million civilians are estimated to have left their homes in Lebanon since Israel launched its ground invasion at the start of this month.
Israel has insisted that it has only targeted Hezbollah positions in an attempt to bring back around 60,000 displaced citizens to their homes in the north, which is suffering daily rocket attacks.