Israel rejected proposals on Thursday for a ceasefire with Hezbollah and conducted a military exercise simulating manoeuvres in Lebanon, defying allies including the United States which had called for an immediate halt in fighting.
Israel’s relentless pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, including intense airstrikes and assassinations of some of its senior commanders raised concern that it will mount a ground invasion which would lead to a wider war in the region. The military, which has vowed to secure Israel’s northern border and return thousands of its citizens to their communities there, said the exercise of its 7th brigade took place a few kilometres from the Lebanese border.
Shortly afterwards the Israeli military said it was carrying out precise strikes in Beirut, where the sound of a blast was heard and smoke was seen rising in the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
“There will be no ceasefire in the north,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X. “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 comments dashed hopes for a swift settlement, after Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati had expressed hope that a ceasefire could be reached soon, Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes seeking safety in the face of the heaviest Israeli bombardment since a 2006 war. World leaders have voiced concern that the conflict – running in parallel to Israel’s war in Gaza – was escalating rapidly. Hezbollah has faced off against the Israeli military since the Shi’ite Muslim movement was created by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to counter an Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It has since evolved into Tehran’s most powerful Middle East proxy. The United States, France and several other allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border. They also expressed support for a ceasefire in Gaza following intense discussions at the United Nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, heading to New York to address the U.N., said he had not yet given his response to the truce proposal but had instructed the army to fight on. Hardliners in his government said Israel should reject any truce and keep hitting Hezbollah until it surrenders. Hezbollah has fired hundreds of missiles at targets in Israel including, for the first time, its commercial hub Tel Aviv, although Israel’s aerial defence system has ensured that the damage has been limited.