New York, New York - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue his war on Gaza and Lebanon "until victory" in a rambling speech in front of a largely deserted UN General Assembly hall in New York.

Delegates stages a mass walkout as Netanyahu, who faces numerous accusations of war crimes, delivered is belligerent address.

He spoke as Israel continued to pummel Lebanon for a fifth day straight, blaming the militant group Hezbollah for an escalation in violence that has killed over 700 people – most, according to local authorities, civilians. The UN has also warned children are being murdered "at a frightening rate."

Trotting out the well-worn Gaza playbook, Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of planting a "missile in every kitchen, a rocket in every garage," and claimed that "Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their home safe."

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He also insisted "Hamas has got to go," vowing to fight the group until "total victory" even as experts warn that Israel's assaults on Palestinians in Gaza and the illegally occupied West Bank have long since veered into genocidal territory.

Netanyahu then took aim at Iran, saying: "I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran. If you strike us, we will strike you."

"There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach, and that's true of the entire Middle East."

Netanyahu's speech put paid to any notions that his regime is interested in a ceasefire, whether in Gaza or in Lebanon, despite constant claims to the contrary made by the US.

Joe Biden's administration has steadfastly backed Israel at every turn, providing it with weapons and diplomatic support, while occasionally expressing concerns over the unprecedented slaughter of civilians and continuous escalation.

Thousands of protesters who turned out in the streets of New York ahead of Netanyahu's UN appearance, meanwhile, were met with violence by police, who arrested dozens and injured several demonstrators.

Just as Netanyahu was winding down the address in which he claimed that "Israel yearns for peace," reports emerged that Israeli airstrikes had level four residential buildings in Beirut.