Israeli foreign minister rejects call for 21-day ceasefire in conflict with Hezbollah

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday rejected proposals for a ceasefire with Hezbollah after the United States and France called for a 21-day ceasefire in the fighting, raising concerns in Lebanon and fears of a ground invasion.

“There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight the terrorist organization Hezbollah with all our strength until victory is achieved and the residents of the north can return to their homes safely,” he said in a statement on the social media platform X.

The United States, France and several allies, including Canada, called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border and backed a ceasefire in Gaza, following intense discussions at the United Nations on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who travels to New York on Friday to address the United Nations General Assembly, said he had not yet responded to the ceasefire proposal and had ordered the military to continue fighting. Hardliners in his government said Israel should reject the ceasefire and continue attacking Hezbollah.

Israel has launched its heaviest airstrikes on Lebanon since the 2006 war in the past week, killing more than 600 people. For months, there has been cross-border exchanges of fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, in what seemed to be a near-all-out war.

The Israeli military said Thursday afternoon that it carried out precise airstrikes in Beirut. It did not provide details about the strikes in the Lebanese capital.

Witnesses told Reuters a large explosion was heard in Beirut’s southern suburbs and a thick cloud of smoke was seen rising from the area.

Earlier in the night, Israeli airstrikes hit about 75 Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, including weapons caches and ready-to-fire launchers, the Israeli military said on Thursday.

At least 23 Syrians, most of them women and children, were killed when Israel attacked a three-story building in the Lebanese town of Younine, the city’s mayor, Ali Qusas, told Reuters. Lebanon is home to about 1.5 million Syrians who fled the civil war there.

The Israeli military reported Thursday morning that dozens of Hezbollah targets were attacked, including military buildings and weapons depots in several areas.

LISTEN l Lebanese newspaper reporter Tasnim Chaaban on the events on the ground:

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In response, Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at targets in Israel this week, including for the first time the Tel Aviv commercial hub. However, Israel’s air defenses have limited the damage.

Across the border, about 45 projectiles were fired from Lebanon toward the western Galilee region. Some were intercepted, the rest fell in open terrain, the Israeli military said.

Netanyahu reiterated promises to ensure that tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from northern border areas can return home. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads one of two nationalist-religious factions in the governing coalition, said Hezbollah must be crushed and that only its surrender would allow the evacuees to return.

Although the call for a ceasefire applies only to the border between Israel and Lebanon, senior U.S. officials told The Associated Press they wanted to use the three-week pause in fighting there to restart stalled ceasefire and hostage release negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Countries calling for a ceasefire include the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

According to U.S. officials, the proposal was worked on quickly this week. U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security team, led by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, worked with allies to broker the deal.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks, said the deal was finalized late Wednesday afternoon during a conversation on the sidelines of the General Assembly between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.

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How Powerful is Hezbollah? | About That

Israel has shifted its focus to its northern border, striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Andrew Chang analyzes the power of the Iran-backed group, examining its military capabilities and political influence as both sides edge closer to full-fledged conflict. Images provided by Getty Images and The Canadian Press.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati had expressed hope that a ceasefire could be reached soon. He welcomed the call for a truce but said the key to its implementation was whether Israel would commit to upholding international resolutions.

Mikati’s interim government is made up of ministers chosen by Hezbollah, widely seen as the country’s most powerful political force.