Israel wants to continue the fight against Hezbollah “with full force”.

As of: September 26, 2024 1:20 p.m

An alliance of Western states and the EU is pushing for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. But this is met with resistance from the Israeli government. Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the attacks to continue.

International concerns about a further expansion of the Middle East war are growing. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, several Western states made a joint appeal calling for a ceasefire between Israel and the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. But this initiative has so far apparently been rejected by the Israeli government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the armed forces to continue fighting in the north “with full force.” This emerges from a message from his office, which was published via the Prime Minister’s account on the short message service X.

The directive therefore refers to Lebanon and the Israeli-Lebanese border area. Israeli media had previously reported that the country’s government had already agreed to a ceasefire and had asked the military to reduce hostilities in Lebanon. Netanyahu’s office dismissed both reports as false. Netanyahu “didn’t even respond” to the ceasefire proposal.

The Israeli army’s fighting in the Gaza Strip should also continue unabated “until all objectives are achieved.” Netanyahu had repeatedly stated that he wanted to completely dismantle the terrorist militia Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“There will be no ceasefire in the north”

There is also opposition to the ceasefire proposal from other members of the Israeli government. “There will be no ceasefire in the north,” wrote Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on the short message service emphasized the minister.

In the border area with Lebanon, tens of thousands of residents had to leave their hometowns. The Israeli army also called on the civilian population in the south of Lebanon to seek safety.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also took a clear stance against a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militia. “The fight in the north can only end in one way: with the destruction of Hezbollah and its ability to harm the residents of the north,” the ultra-right politician wrote on to recover from the hard blow he received and to reorganize himself for a continuation of the war after 21 days.”

With the 21 days, Smotrich specifically refers to the proposal that was put forward on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. There are ten countries behind him, including Germany, France and the USA. According to the countries’ demands, the three-week ceasefire should come into force immediately in order to enable negotiations on an agreement. The latest fighting is unacceptable and “poses an unacceptable risk of broader regional escalation,” the appeal said.

Lebanon signals support for ceasefire

The Lebanese government appeared open to a possible ceasefire. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Najib Mikati, Prime Minister of Lebanon, had already signaled his approval. The Lebanese Minister of Economic Affairs Amin Salam also emphasized in an interview with ARD Studio Cairothey are working day and night to support international efforts to reach a ceasefire. There are signals that Hezbollah is interested in de-escalation.

So far there has been no reaction from the militia itself to the push for a ceasefire. In the past, Hezbollah had linked a possible end to the fighting to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Blinken wants to use Israeli Government representative advise

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that he would discuss a possible ceasefire with a top representative of the Israeli government later in the day.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also wants to call for a halt to the fighting and plans to travel to the Middle East for talks this week. “We count on both sides to immediately accept the proposal in order to protect civilians and enable diplomatic negotiations,” stressed Barrot in New York.

Israel bombs dozens of targets in Lebanon again

The Israeli military has been carrying out daily air strikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the week. According to Lebanese sources, more than 600 people have already been killed in the attacks. Israel continued its bombardment in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley during the night. The Israeli military said its armed forces attacked a total of 75 Hezbollah targets. Among other things, the militia’s rocket launchers and weapons depots were destroyed.

Lebanese media reported that more than 20 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the town of Junine in the Bekaa Valley. This has not yet been officially confirmed; the media cited information from the city’s mayor. As the Lebanese news agency NNA 23 reported, a residential building that primarily housed workers from Syria was said to have been hit.

The Israeli army said a part of northern Israel was attacked with 45 bullets from Lebanon. Some of them were intercepted by missile defense. The rest fell in open areas.

Moritz Behrendt, ARD Cairo, tagesschau, September 26, 2024 1:47 p.m

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