What Netanyahu Didn’t Say at the U.N. Was as Telling as What He Did

The Prime Minister Didn’t Present Promised New Iran Intel or Issue Additional Threats Against the Regime, or Talk About Saudi Peace

At the same time, there were surprising omissions from Netanyahu's address, omissions that reinforce the sense that Israel does not have a clear and viable plan right now for countering the central threat to its national security: Iran’s nuclear weapons program, its ballistic missiles, and its rapacious, tenacious regime.

At the same time, there were surprising omissions from Netanyahu’s address, omissions that reinforce the sense that Israel does not have a clear and viable plan right now for countering the central threat to its national security: Iran’s nuclear weapons program, its ballistic missiles, and its rapacious, tenacious regime.

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NEW YORK — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 15th address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday was in some ways a classic Bibi presentation.

He railed against antisemitism, blasted what he characterized as the moral fecklessness of European leaders, and came equipped with not one, but two props for his performance — a beeper to taunt Hezbollah for the stunning September 2024 exploding pagers and walkie-talkies operation, and a Starlink internet terminal to needle and shame the Iranian regime over its silencing of its own people.

At the same time, there were surprising omissions from the address, omissions that reinforce the sense that Israel does not have a clear and viable plan right now for countering the central threat to its national security: Iran’s nuclear weapons program, its ballistic missiles, and its rapacious, tenacious regime.

Prior to the speech, senior Israeli officials told The Times of Israel that the “surprises” Netanyahu had promised would come in the form of new intelligence on malign Iranian activities.

He has made such revelations in past speeches at the forum. In 2018, for instance, he exposed what he said was a “secret atomic warehouse” in Tehran and revealed details of Hezbollah missile factories in Beirut.

Published originally on September 25, 2026.

Read the full article at the Times of Israel.

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.
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