Breaking hopes of a truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Israel will continue to strike the Lebanese Shiite movement “Hezbollah” and he won't stop until he achieves his goals. Netanyahu said this while landing in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, the Associated Press reported, citing BTA.
During the event, US and European officials pressured both sides of the conflict to accept a proposed 21-day ceasefire to allow time for diplomacy and avoid full-scale war.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Lebanon this week after Israel significantly stepped up strikes, claiming it was attacking Hezbollah's military capabilities. Israeli leaders have said they intend to end more than 11 months of cross-border fire by the militant group, which has prompted tens of thousands of Israelis to evacuate their homes in the country's north.
Netanyahu stated that Israel's policy “is clear – we continue to hit “Hezbollah“ with full force and we will not stop until we achieve our goals, chief among which is the return of northerners to the safety of their homes.
Shortly before Netanyahu's comments, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that in an airstrike in a suburb of Beirut, they had killed the drone commander of the “Hezbollah” Muhammad Hussain Surur. There is no confirmation of this from the group yet.
Israel talks of possible ground invasion of Lebanon to drive out “Hezbollah” away from the border and placed thousands of troops in the north on alert. Thousands of Lebanese have fled the southern part of the country in the past week.
The escalation has raised fears of a repeat of the 2006 war between the two sides, which devastated large parts of southern Lebanon and other parts of the country and led to heavy rocket fire by “Hezbollah” on the Israeli cities.
"We now face the risk of unlimited war. A new full-scale war could be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after talks with his British and Australian counterparts in London.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Israeli representatives on the sidelines of the UN, discussing the truce proposal with them. He stated that the major countries, Europeans and Arab nations are united - “all speak with one clear voice about the need for this ceasefire”, but also that he cannot speak for Netanyahu.
„Hezbollah“ has not yet responded to the cease-fire proposal. Lebanon's interim prime minister, Najib Mikati, welcomed him, but his government has no influence over the group.
Netanyahu's cabinet played down the initiative, saying in a statement that it was only a proposal and that Israel would continue to defend itself against Hezbollah attacks coming from Lebanon.
Meanwhile, a far-right partner in Netanyahu's coalition government threatened today to withdraw from it if a truce is reached.
„If the temporary ceasefire becomes permanent, we will resign from the government,” said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the “Jewish Power” party.
If Ben-Gvir leaves the coalition, Netanyahu will lose his parliamentary majority and his government will fall, although opposition leaders have said they would offer support for a ceasefire deal.