Plans for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah are in doubt after Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his forces will keep fighting at “full force.”
Late on Wednesday, the US, UK and their allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire as the Middle East risks breaking out into a regional war.
The news is set against the backdrop of recent deadly strikes which have taken place across Lebanon in recent days, with the US, UK, France and other allies jointly calling for an immediate ceasefire on Wednesday.
The joint statement, released during the UN General Assembly in New York, says the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation”.
“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy,” the statement said.
“We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary cease-fire immediately.”
Signatories to the statement include the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has dismissed the idea of a ceasefire.
Mr Netanyahu’s office said: “The news about a ceasefire – not true. This is an American-French proposal, to which the prime minister did not even respond.
“The news about the supposed directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth.
“The prime minister instructed the IDF to continue the fighting with full force, and according to the plans presented to him. Also, the fighting in Gaza will continue until all the goals of the war are achieved.”
It comes after the head of the Israeli army told his troops on Wednesday evening that the bombing of Hezbollah in Lebanon was to pave the way for a possible ground incursion.
“You hear the jets overhead, we have been striking all day,” General Herzi Halevi told troops on the border with Lebanon.
Tzipi Hotovely: ‘Netanyahu is definitely not a war criminal’
“This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.”
He continued: “The goal is very clear – to safely return the residents of the north.
“To achieve that, we are preparing the process of a manoeuvre, which means your military boots, your manoeuvring boots, will enter enemy territory, enter villages that Hezbollah has prepared as large military outposts, with underground infrastructure, staging points, and launchpads into our territory and carry out attacks on Israeli civilians.”
Speaking to LBC this morning, the Israeli ambassador rejected claims the country’s leader is a “war criminal” and said her country is “prepared for all alternatives” in Lebanon.
Speaking exclusively with Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Tzipi Hotovely asserted that “Israel always prefers the diplomatic solution” and the nation was giving peace in the region “a fair chance”.
As part of her interview, she also claimed that “80% of Palestinians support the atrocities of the seventh of October”.
Explaining the nation was “prepared for all other alternatives” should diplomacy in the region fail, she asserted “we believe we do everything by international law”,
“Unfortunately for the last 11 months Hezbollah has been firing non-stop on our cities, they turned the northern border of Israel into a ghost town and this situation cannot carry on,” she told Nick.
It comes as the UK has unveiled a £5m support package for Lebanon, following the deadly air strikes and rocket fire which Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged since the start of the week.
The Foreign Office confirmed the aid will go towards medical supplies, hygiene kits, fuel for water stations, and emergency teams working in the health and nutrition fields.
It also confirmed that 700 troops were sent to Cyprus on an evacuation mission on Tuesday as tensions continued to escalate.
Hezbollah has been bombing northern Israel, with tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes.
Meanwhile, Israel has killed hundreds in Lebanon with its shelling.
Britain has told any of its citizens living in Lebanon to leave immediately.
At least 72 people were killed and 223 wounded in attacks on Wednesday alone, according to Lebanese officials.
Addressing the UN Security Council, British PM Keir Starmer called for “political solutions that can break repeated cycles of violence like that in the Middle East”.
He also said that the Middle East needed a “political plan” that allows Israeli civilians “to return to their homes to live in peace and security.”
“That security will come through diplomacy not escalation,” Sir Keir said. “There is no military solution here – nor is there a military only solution to the conflict in Gaza.
“This Council must demand again an immediate, full, and complete ceasefire in Gaza, with the release of all the hostages.
“We need a political route to that agreement, which provides a bridge to a better future, a credible and irreversible path towards a viable Palestinian state, alongside a safe and secure state of Israel.
“That is the only way to provide security and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Sir Keir said that the “humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza” continued to “deepen by the day”.
He added: “Israel must grant humanitarian access to civilians in line with its obligations under international humanitarian law. There can be no more excuses.
“Israel must open more crossings, allow vital, life-saving aid to flow and provide a safe environment for the UN and other humanitarian organisations to operate.”
Lord Kim Darroch says ‘it looks like the next stage is a ground invasion in Lebanon’
Sir Keir also took aim at Russia over its invasion of Ukraine during his speech, accusing Vladimir Putin of pointlessly sacrificing his own troops as he called for an end to the war.
“Six hundred thousand Russian soldiers have also been killed or wounded in this war. And for what?
“The UN Charter – which they sit here to uphold – speaks of human dignity. Not treating your own citizens as bits of meat to fling into the grinder.
“There can be no equivocation here. There must be accountability. Aggression cannot pay. Borders cannot be redrawn by force.
“Russia started this illegal war. It must end it – and get out of Ukraine.”
