Netanyahu: Israel must defend itself 'against these savage murderers'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told world leaders at 79th UN General Assembly that Israel must defend itself "against these savage murderers."

“Our enemies seek not only to destroy us, they seek to destroy our common civilisation and return all of us to a dark age of tyranny and terror,” he claimed.

His comments follow Israel's week long bombing campaign in Lebanon that has killed 700 people in a week.

Meanwhile the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has topped 41,000.