Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to keep fighting “at full power” in response to calls led by the U.S. and France for a truce with Hezbollah.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement: “This is a U.S.-French proposal to which the prime minister did not even respond. The news about a so-called directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth.”
The Israel Defense Forces said this morning they were continuing attacks on Hezbollah in several areas of Lebanon to “dismantle and degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure.”
The U.S., France and other allies jointly called Wednesday for an immediate 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.
The joint statement, negotiated on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, says the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. The Israeli prime minister also said fighting will continue in Gaza until all of his war goals have been achieved.
Abir Sultan/AP
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday also weighed into the ceasefire proposals by rejecting the idea of a 21 day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Smotrich, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, insisted that continuing the war against Hezbollah was the only way forward for Israel.
“The campaign in the north should end with a single result: crushing Hezbollah and elimination of its ability to harm the residents of the north,” Smotrich said on X.
“The enemy must not be given time to recover from the heavy blows it has suffered and reorganize itself to continue the war after 21 days,” he said.
“Hezbollah’s surrender or war—this is the only way to bring back the residents and security to the north and the country.”
Israeli airstrikes have claimed over 630 lives in Lebanon since a further 72 people are reported by the nation’s Health Ministry to have been killed in attacks on Wednesday, resulting in emergency talks at this week’s U.N. General Assembly in New York.
The ceasefire proposal aimed for allowing space for diplomatic negotiations and reducing the risk of a wider regional conflict.
Spearheaded by the U.S. and France, who called an emergency motion at the conference on Wednesday, the action was backed by Saudi Arabia, Germany, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.
“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy,” the joint statement read. The statement emphasized that the fighting has become “intolerable” and poses a significant threat to regional stability.
People inspect a destroyed warehouse at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Jiyeh along the highway linking Beirut to the southern city of Sidon on Sept. 25, 2024. Israeli officials have stated that more than 600 Hezbollah-related targets were struck in recent air raids, while Hezbollah has fired numerous rockets into northern Israel.
Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images
Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens in Hezbollah-controlled southern regions and Israeli civilians in northern Israel are bearing the brunt of the conflict.
The fear of a broader war between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group, has grown as both sides continue to exchange fire almost daily.
Following the U.N. meeting, the U.S. has been pushing for Israel and Lebanon to immediately endorse the ceasefire, hoping it could lead to longer-term stability along the border.
According to senior U.S. officials, Israel was expected to “welcome” the proposal, potentially endorsing it when Netanyahu addresses the U.N. General Assembly later this week.
The Israeli Prime Minister was forced to delay his scheduled speech on Monday after his country launched the deadliest attack on its northern neighbor Lebanon since the invasion of 2006.
Israel’s military has conducted an aggressive campaign in Gaza, with Palestinian health authorities reporting more than 41,000 Palestinian deaths. The campaign was launched after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.
President Joe Biden has been actively involved in the diplomatic effort, calling for de-escalation across the region.
Speaking on ABC‘s The View, Biden warned, “an all-out war is possible” but expressed optimism that the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah could “fundamentally change the whole region.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been pivotal in rallying global support for the ceasefire.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event with world leaders on Sept. 25, 2024 in New York City. The current ceasefire initiative is led by the U.S. and France, with diplomatic efforts extending to Gulf Cooperation Council countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Blinken first proposed the initiative during a meeting with French officials on Monday, later securing backing from key Middle Eastern leaders, including Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
These efforts culminated in a broader coalition, including representatives from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized democracies, lending their support to the ceasefire proposal.
At the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati endorsed the ceasefire, urging the council to guarantee “the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Lebanese territories” while describing the conflict as a “dirty war.”
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon stated, “It will happen, either after a war or before a war. We hope it will be before.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
