Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected ceasefire proposals put forward by 12 international allies, including the United States and France.
His office refuted reports of a potential truce, insisting that Israel will continue its military operations in both Lebanon and Gaza. “The news about a ceasefire is not true,” Netanyahu’s office stated. “The Prime Minister instructed the Israeli Defense Forces to continue the fighting with full force, and according to the plans presented to him.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz echoed this sentiment, asserting, “there will be no ceasefire in the north, and Israel will continue to fight Hezbollah “with all our might until victory and the safe return of residents of the north to their homes.”
Netanyahu’s refusal to consider a temporary ceasefire has stirred discontent within Israel’s right-wing ministers. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned against giving Hezbollah time to recover, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party called for an urgent meeting, signaling potential threats to Netanyahu’s coalition. Even opposition leader Yair Lapid stressed that any proposal must ensure Hezbollah’s removal from the northern border.
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The heightened conflict follows the most direct threat yet of a potential ground incursion into Lebanon. Israel’s Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi, informed northern troops that airstrikes were laying the groundwork for a possible ground offensive to neutralize Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has launched a fresh wave of rocket strikes targeting Israeli defense infrastructure in northern Israel, including the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems complex near Haifa.
The Israeli Defense Forces, reported that 45 rockets were fired from Lebanon, some intercepted, while the rest fell on open ground. Despite Hezbollah’s claims of striking Israel’s military industry sites, there are no reports of damage to the Rafael facility, which developed the Iron Dome missile defense system
Meanwhile, civilians in northern Israel continue to face rocket fire, with the latest barrage from Hezbollah targeting Kiryat Motzkin and military sites north of Haifa in what the group called “defense of Lebanon” and solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians have sought refuge in Sidon, with schools converted into temporary shelters. One woman, Om Mohammed, recounted her harrowing 12-hour journey on foot with her children to escape Israeli bombardments, describing the blisters and exhaustion from the ordeal.
As Netanyahu prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the international community watches closely, hoping for a diplomatic breakthrough, even as the possibility of broader conflict looms.
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