Israel’s foreign minister rejects proposal for 21-day ceasefire in conflict with Hezbollah
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday dismissed proposals for a ceasefire with Hezbollah after the United States and France proposed a 21-day pause in the war that has terrorized Lebanon and sparked fears of a global attack.
“There will be no end to weapons in the north. We will continue to fight the terrorist organization Hezbollah with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the citizens of the north to their homes,” he said in a statement on social media. platform X.
The United States, France and several allies, including Canada, called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border while voicing support for a ceasefire in Gaza following tense talks at the United Nations on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, heading to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, said he had not responded to the proposal to close the deal and had ordered the army to continue fighting. Hardliners in his government say Israel should reject the deal and continue to attack Hezbollah.
Israel launched its heaviest attack on Lebanon since the 2006 war last week, killing more than 600 people, as months of cross-border fire and Iran-backed Hezbollah move closer to an all-out war.
Hezbollah fired hundreds of missiles at Israel including, for the first time, its commercial hub Tel Aviv, although Israel’s air defense system ensured that the damage was limited.
During that time, the violence did not stop. Israeli airstrikes overnight hit about 75 Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, including weapons and explosives storage facilities, the Israeli military said on Thursday.
In the latest deadly strike, at least 23 Syrians, mostly women and children, were killed when Israel hit a three-story building in the Lebanese city of Younine overnight, the city’s mayor, Ali Qusas, told Reuters. Lebanon is home to about 1.5 million Syrians who have fled the civil war there.
Israel’s military said a number of Hezbollah targets were hit, including military buildings and weapons depots, in several areas on Thursday morning.
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On the other side of the border, about 45 projectiles were fired from Lebanon towards the western Galilee area, some of which were intercepted, while others landed in open ground, the Israeli military said.
Netanyahu repeats promises to ensure that tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from the northern areas can return to their homes. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads one of the two nationalist parties in the ruling coalition, said Hezbollah must be destroyed and only its surrender would make it easier for the displaced to return.
While the ceasefire request applies only to the Israel-Lebanon border, senior US officials have told The Associated Press they are looking to use a three-week pause in fighting there to restart stalled talks on a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.
Nations that want a ceasefire include the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Work on the proposal met quickly this week with US President Joe Biden’s security team, led by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, working with allies to put together a deal, according to US officials.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private negotiations, said the deal was reached Wednesday afternoon during a discussion on the sidelines of the General Assembly between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Israel has shifted its focus to its northern border, attacking Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Andrew Chang breaks down the power of the Iran-backed group by examining its military power and political influence, as the two sides move closer to full-scale conflict. Photos provided by Getty Images and The Canadian Press.
The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, expressed his hope that a decision can be reached to end the war. He still accepted the call to suspend the agreement but said that the key to its implementation is whether Israel is willing to enforce international decisions.
Mikati’s administration includes ministers appointed by Hezbollah, which is widely seen as the most powerful political force in the country.
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