Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz has rejected US and French overtures for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had not reacted but instructed the army to continue operations.
“There will be no ceasefire in the north,” Katz declared on the social media platform X.
“We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organization with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.”
Mr. Netanyahu, who left Israel on Thursday to speak at the United Nations, released a statement saying he had directed the military to continue fighting with full might in accordance with operational preparations.
Shortly after the statement was released, the Israeli military announced that it had initiated a new wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right faction was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting, but party members have already spoken out against the move.
The US and France, backed by other allies, asked on Wednesday for a 21-day ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon “Blue Line,” the demarcation line between the two nations, to allow the parties to pursue a possible diplomatic solution.
Israel has launched the heaviest air strikes against Lebanon since the 2006 war over the past week, killing more than 600 people, as months of cross-border fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement spiralled close to all-out war.
Hezbollah has fired hundreds of missiles at targets in Israel including, for the first time, its economic hub Tel Aviv, although Israel’s aerial defence system has ensured that the damage has been limited.
Israel called up two extra reserve brigades to the northern sector on Wednesday.
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