Israel rules out US-French proposal for Hezbollah truce

TEL AVIV

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday dismissed imminent ceasefire claims and vowed to keep fighting Hezbollah “with full force” after the United Stated and France led a joint call for 21-day truce in Lebanon.

Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying he had "not even responded" to the truce proposal, and that he had ordered the military "to continue the fighting with full force.” Israeli media claimed that Netanyahu greenlighted the proposal and it would take into force within hours.

Another rejection came from Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. In its social media post, he said, "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.”

The United States, France and other allies issued a joint statement calling for a 21-day halt in the fighting, with President Joe Biden, his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and other allies meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

“It is time for a settlement on the Israel-Lebanon border that ensures safety and security to enable civilians to return to their homes. The exchange of fire since Oct. 7, and in particular over the past two weeks, threatens a much broader conflict, and harm to civilians,” said the joint statement.

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," the statement said.

They urged Israel and Lebanon to back the move, which was also endorsed by the U.K., Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

On the ground, there was no let-up in the violence.

The Israeli military said it yesterday struck "approximately 75 terror targets" in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and the south, both Hezbollah bastions that have seen a huge exodus people fleeing their homes in recent days.

Israel’s fighter jets struck infrastructure on the Syria-Lebanon border used by Hezbollah

Israel's army chief told soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"We are attacking all day, both to prepare the ground for the possibility of your entry, but also to continue striking Hezbollah," Israel's army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, told a tank brigade, according to a statement.

Addressing the situation, the Pentagon said that the US military is not providing intelligence support to Israel for its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers were deployed to Greek Cyprus “in preparation for various scenarios - including the possibility of evacuating American citizens from Lebanon if an all-out war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah,” CNN reported.