Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his country’s military to continue fighting against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah with ‘full force’. He gave this order despite calls from the United States and other allies for a ceasefire in Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health said at least 92 people were killed in Israeli air strikes on Thursday.
Israeli forces launched a major offensive in Lebanon on Monday. They claim these attacks are targeting the armed group Hezbollah. Several hundred people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since Monday. Hezbollah is also conducting retaliatory attacks. In this situation, there are fears that a full-scale war may break out between the two countries. To resolve the conflict, the European Union and 11 countries proposed a three-week ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah last Wednesday.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon initially said his country welcomed the proposal. After his comments, the proposal seemed to offer a glimmer of hope.
However, on Thursday, Israeli political leadership rejected it. After arriving in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu said Israel would not stop in Lebanon until all objectives are met. One of the main objectives is to ensure the safe return of displaced residents of northern Israel to their homes.
The White House later said the ceasefire proposal was made ‘in coordination’ with Israel.
In New York, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer called for an immediate ceasefire to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Lebanon. He said this conflict could turn into an ‘uncontrolled’ war.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah also spread centered around the war that started in Gaza almost a year ago. Since then, about 70,000 people in northern Israel have been displaced.
According to UN estimates, about 90,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Monday. 110,000 people were already displaced.
The Israeli military said they carried out attacks targeting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country on Thursday. They also attacked infrastructure along the Lebanon-Syria border. Israel claims they carried out these attacks to cut off the supply route of weapons to Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said they fired 50 rockets targeting the Kiryat Ata settlement and 80 missiles targeting the city of Safed. Both areas are located in northern Israel.
The Israeli military said they intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. They intercepted it after the missile attack warning sounded.
Israeli Army Chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday that air strikes in Lebanon would create a path for Israeli defense forces to ‘enter enemy territory’.
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