♦ 7 Palestinians killed in new border clashes 

♦ US shuts consulate in Iraq's Basra, blames Iran

Israel's prime minister has accused arch-enemy Tehran of harboring a secret atomic warehouse, making deft use of ample props and vowing that his country would never let Iran develop nuclear weapons.

Iran "hasn't abandoned its goal to develop nuclear weapons," Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly, where his annual appearance has frequently focused on Israel's chief enemy, the Islamic republic.

"Israel will never let a regime that calls for our destruction to develop nuclear weapons. Not now, not in 10 years, not ever," he said. "Israel will do whatever it must do to defend itself against Iran's aggression."

"What Iran hides, Israel will find," the prime minister added.

Netanyahu opened his speech by claiming that Iran had a secret atomic warehouse in Tehran, holding up a map and a photograph of an outwardly "innocent looking compound" which he urged the UN atomic agency to inspect.

"Today I'm disclosing for the first time that Iran has another secret facility in Tehran, a secret atomic warehouse for storing massive amounts of equipment and material from Iran's secret nuclear weapons program," he said.

He also claimed that the Iranian-linked Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah had positioned three missile sites near Beirut airport, holding up what he called "a picture worth a thousand missiles" and titled "Beirut Precision Guided Missile."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later ridiculed Netanyahu's allegations, saying that previous claims by Israel had not stood up to scrutiny when investigated by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.

Netanyahu also accused Iranian agents of plotting attacks in the United States and Europe, as well as being an aggressor in the Middle East.

He tore into Europe for its policy of "appeasement" with Iran, a word that evokes in history European capitals' reluctance to stand up against Adolf Hitler in the run-up to World War II.

Later, in an interview with CNN, Netanyahu refused to commit to a two-state solution to Israel's ongoing conflict with Palestinians, despite US President Donald Trump indicating, at least for a time, that would be his preferred outcome.

Netanyahu in the interview said that in a one-on-one meeting with Trump on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, the US President asked him, "what would you like to see?"

Netanyahu said he answered that he would like to see the Palestinians be self governing in a demilitarized state with "none of the powers to threaten us." He said Israel have to have the 'overriding security' on its hand.

Meanwhile, seven more Palestinians, including two boys aged 12 and 14, were killed in clashes with Israeli forces along the Gaza border Friday. At least 193 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since March, the majority during border protests, while one Israeli soldier has been shot dead by a Palestinian sniper.

Iraq's foreign ministry voiced "regret" yesterday over a US decision to shut its consulate in the southern city of Basra which has been rocked by weeks of deadly protests.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ordered all but emergency staff to leave Basra, with consular duties to be taken over by the embassy in Baghdad. He blamed Iranian militias for "indirect fire" against the US consulate.