Netanyahu ignores truce call, directs army to ‘keep fighting Hezbollah with full force’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (September 26) said his government had not responded to a call for 21-day ceasefire by the US and its allies in Israel’s fight with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

“It is an American-French proposal, which the prime minister has not even responded to,” said a statement from Netanyahu's office, adding that he had ordered the army "to continue the fighting with full force”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz also rejected the proposal, which called for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon. Katz made the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “There will be no ceasefire in the north. 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.”

‘Situation in nobody’s interest’

The United States, European Union and other allies including several Arab states issued a joint call for a 21-day ceasefire after Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands in Lebanon this week, said an AFP report.

The situation in Lebanon has become “intolerable” and “is in nobody's interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon,” said a joint statement from US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and other allies.

“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement.”

The statement was issued jointly with Western powers, Japan and key Gulf Arab powers -- Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- as leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York

Possibility of ground offensive

The call for a three-week ceasefire came hours after Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi on Wednesday told soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah.

Israeli aerial bombardment of Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the militant group has hit back with barrages of rockets and said a ballistic missile targeted Tel Aviv.

On Wednesday too, 72 people were killed in the attack across Lebanon as the death toll from Israel’s bombings surpassed 620.