Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to discuss a temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah during talks at the United Nations General Assembly, an Israeli official told CNN.
The prime minister rejected suggestions that a cease-fire was imminent, insisting instead that Israeli forces would continue to fight “with all our might,” but sources said Netanyahu had rejected reports that the U.S. was pushing for a 21-day ceasefire. He said it was noteworthy that the prime minister did not deny it. .
The ceasefire plan was proposed by the United States and its allies to stop a broader war in the region, and one senior US official described it as a “significant breakthrough.”
Here’s what else you need to know:
• Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comment: In response to reports that a ceasefire was “imminent,” Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: This was a proposal from the US and France, but the prime minister did not even respond to it. ” Foreign Minister Israel Katz also said that Israel would continue to fight Hezbollah “with all our might.” However, Israeli officials said diplomatic negotiations were the main reason for Netanyahu’s visit to the UN General Assembly and that “Israel supports a diplomatic solution.”
• Ceasefire plan: Details are sparse, but we do know that the United States and its allies are seeking a 21-day ceasefire that would halt fighting and allow space for diplomacy. President Joe Biden said the plan was supported by the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
• Right-wing politicians furious at Prime Minister Netanyahu: Right-wing Israeli ministers on Thursday expressed outrage at reports that the United States is pushing for a weeks-long ceasefire in Lebanon and the silence of their own prime minister. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich told X: “We must not give the enemy time to recover from a major blow.”
• The attacks continue: The Israeli military said it attacked some 75 targets in Lebanon overnight. The military added that it continues to “dismantle and degrade” Hezbollah’s infrastructure and capabilities. Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that around 45 rockets were fired into Israel from Lebanon this morning, causing sirens to sound in northern Israel.
• Thousands of displaced people: Fleeing Israeli shelling, thousands of internally displaced people in Lebanon head to the Mediterranean city of Sidon, where schools have been opened as shelters. Read their story here. Separately, 70,000 people are registered in evacuation centers across the country.
