Israel ignores proposal for cease-fire with Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he had directed the military to continue fighting with full force against the Lebanon-based group. The United States and France on Wednesday proposed a 21-day cease-fire, a plan to which several other European and Middle Eastern countries later lent their support. In calling for a truce, the signees argued that Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon threatened broader regional stability, which would benefit no one. The proposal also called for a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel is fighting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Both the United States and Israel view Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

Why is Israel refusing to take part in the deal? Early on Thursday, Hezbollah launched more than 40 missiles into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces reported. The continued launches are why the IDF is fighting against Hezbollah, according to the IDF statement. Israeli civilians had been regularly rushing to bomb shelters for almost a year, the IDF added. Earlier on Thursday the IDF claimed credit for destroying roughy 75 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon—housing militants, ammunition, and weaponry.

What does Hezbollah have to say about the cease-fire proposal? The Hezbollah-run Al-Ahed News in an English-language report about the cease-fire proposal quoted Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati as accusing Israel of conducting a terrorist campaign against his country. Hezbollah on Thursday also shared a statement on the social media app Telegram showing pictures of Lebanese civilians that Israel allegedly killed.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about Israel’s war against Hezbollah entering a new phase, according to the IDF.