Israeli PM promises ‘tough response’

he left for the US on Wednesday evening.
In his address at the General Assembly, Ahmadinejad predicted the “elimination” of Israel and said Iran was under a “continued threat” by “uncivilised Zionists,” who, he said, were trying to “resort to military action against our great nation.
“The Iranian president made the remarks on the eve of the Jewish Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) fast, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.”
Netanyahu said in his letter that “on Yom Kippur eve, sacred to the Jewish people, the Iranian tyrant chose to call publicly for us to vanish. It’s a black day for those who chose to remain in the auditorium and hear those hateful words.”
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama will likely speak to Netanyahu by phone today, as the White House faces heat over the lack of a meeting between the leaders in New York.
Obama spent only 24 hours in New York for the UN General Assembly earlier this week before Netanyahu arrived, and the Israeli leader was supposed to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later yesterday instead of Obama.
The White House had denied that Obama, who has had a testy relationship with Netanyahu and public disagreement over how to handle the Iranian nuclear challenge, snubbed the Israeli leader. It said the president’s schedule, as he campaigns hard for re-election, did not allow him to be in New York at the same time as Netanyahu, who is demanding Washington establish public red lines for Iran over its nuclear programme.
Officials also denied Israeli Press reports that Obama had declined an Israeli request for a meeting in Washington. — Xinhua/AFP.