Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday that Israel’s military would continue its aggressive campaign against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon with “all our might.”
His statement came despite ongoing diplomatic efforts by the United States, European allies, and some Arab nations to broker a three-week cease-fire.
Netanyahu made his comments upon arriving in New York, ahead of a speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
During the assembly, global leaders have been urgently advocating for cease-fires in both Gaza and Lebanon, warning of the increasing likelihood of a broader conflict in the Middle East.
Nevertheless, Israel intensified its military actions. On Thursday, the Israeli forces announced they had killed another senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and struck multiple Hezbollah positions across Lebanon after the group launched 45 rockets into northern Israel.
While these rockets caused no casualties or damage, Israel responded with heavy airstrikes.
The Israeli military also reported an airstrike on a former school building in Gaza that had been repurposed by Hamas as a command-and-control center. Palestinian Civil Defense reported the tragic loss of 15 lives, including women and children, and numerous injuries.
Although Netanyahu refrained from dismissing a truce outright with Hezbollah, many in his government quickly dismissed any notion of a cease-fire. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz voiced a firm stance, stating on social media, “There will be no cease-fire in the north. We will continue to fight against the terrorist organization Hezbollah with full force until victory and the safe return of the northern residents to their homes.”
For its part, Hezbollah has not formally responded to the cease-fire proposal. However, analysts argue that a cease-fire agreement would be difficult for either side to accept due to conditions neither side is likely to meet. Hezbollah has made clear that its rocket fire will not cease until there is a cease-fire in Gaza.
Halting their attacks while Hamas continues fighting could expose Hezbollah to criticism from its base for not standing by its ally.
Since October 8, the day after Hamas carried out a deadly raid in southern Israel, Hezbollah has launched consistent strikes on northern Israel.
In response, Israeli leaders remain adamant about their objectives. They are determined to destroy Hamas and stop Hezbollah’s attacks, aiming to allow around 60,000 displaced Israelis to return home. In Lebanon, more than half a million people have been displaced due to Israel’s retaliation.
One of Israel’s strikes on Thursday targeted Mohamed Hussein Sarour, a senior Hezbollah commander, in Beirut.
The Israeli military said Sarour was instrumental in overseeing Hezbollah’s drone program in southern Lebanon, intelligence gathering, and liaising with Houthi militants in Yemen, another Iranian-backed group.
Lebanon’s health ministry, while not differentiating between fighters and civilians, reported two deaths in the same strike and at least 90 injuries across Lebanon from Israeli attacks that day.
The Israeli Defense Forces also escalated their operations by destroying hundreds of Hezbollah communication devices and intensifying their airstrikes, spreading panic across Lebanon. They released footage of Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, an Israeli Air Force commander, briefing soldiers on the potential for a ground invasion of Lebanon.
Meanwhile, international sentiment regarding the conflict was on display at the UN General Assembly.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was met with a standing ovation after calling on world leaders to halt the violence. “Stop the genocide; stop sending weapons to Israel,” Abbas urged during his address. “This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The 21-day cease-fire proposal, first announced by the White House on Wednesday night, has garnered support from Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
Despite the international backing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted that President Biden had yet to personally discuss the proposal with Netanyahu. Jean-Pierre emphasized the severity of the situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border, describing it as “intolerable” and expressing frustration over the lack of movement toward peace. “We felt comfortable releasing that statement last night because we have been having those discussions with Lebanon and Israel,” she explained, but added, “it is up to the parties to respond.”
Behind closed doors, senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu’s close adviser Ron Dermer, have reportedly engaged in discussions with American counterparts about the possibility of a cease-fire. However, Netanyahu remained tight-lipped, with his office noting that he had “not even responded” to the proposal.
Speaking ahead of his UN address, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s stance, “We continue to hit Hezbollah with all our might. We will not stop until we achieve all our goals, first of all the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.”
Some analysts have speculated that Iran, Hezbollah’s key backer, may play a decisive role in any cease-fire decision.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent speech at the General Assembly, where he condemned Israel’s actions as “desperate barbarism” and called for an end to Israel’s campaign, could indicate a potential shift in Iran’s stance. According to Paul Salem, a senior analyst at the Middle East Institute, “It is possible that Iran is signaling an off-ramp for Hezbollah.”
Julien Barnes-Dacey, the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Middle East and North Africa program director, also believes Iran might favor a truce, noting, “Iran would very much welcome a cease-fire and is desperate to avoid Hezbollah or itself being sucked into a devastating direct war with Israel, so it is really counting on the West to press Israel toward a cease-fire.”
On the international front, American Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, in London for meetings with British and Australian officials, issued a stark warning.
He cautioned that the situation risked escalating into “all-out war” in the region, which would have devastating consequences for both Israel and Lebanon. “Israel and Lebanon can choose a different path,” Austin said, urging all parties to take advantage of the cease-fire opportunity.
