Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that media reports suggesting there could be an imminent ceasefire in Lebanon were “incorrect” and that he has told the Israeli military to continue fighting “with full force.”
Netanyahu has not responded to a ceasefire proposal made by the United States and France, the statement from his office said.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that “there will be no ceasefire in the north,” and Israel will continue to fight Hezbollah “with all our might until victory and the safe return of residents of the north to their homes.”
Context: Netanyahu’s statement came after a backlash from right-wing Israeli ministers to reports that the US is pushing for a weeks-long ceasefire in Lebanon.
An Israeli official told CNN earlier that talks over a potential temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah are a main motivator for Netanyahu’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
