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| Israeli foreign minister rejects Lebanon ceasefire proposal | ||
| 2024-09-27 | ||
| [GEO.TV] Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday rejected proposals for a ceasefire with Hezbollah after the United States and France called for a 21-day halt in fighting that has killed hundreds in Lebanon and raised fears of a ground invasion. "There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah organisation with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes," Katz said in a statement on the social media platform X. The comments dashed hopes for a swift peaceful settlement, after Prime Minister Najib Mikati had expressed hope that a ceasefire could be reached soon in Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes seeking safety.
Citing an unnamed Lebanese official familiar with the negotiations, the outlet says the earlier proposal was focused on establishing a new mechanism for enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 from 2006, which stipulates that Hezbollah must move some 30 kilometers north of the border with Israel. However, Hezbollah only agreed to discuss this if it was linked to a ceasefire in Gaza, which Israel rejected, causing those talks to break down.
[IsraelTimes] PM had been expected to relate to initiative in UN speech Friday. But after outcry back home, his office says he never backed it and he vows to keep hitting Hezbollah ‘full force’. Discussions then got underway on a temporary ceasefire during which a more permanent arrangement could be negotiated. This intended arrangement would be based on ongoing efforts by US envoy Amos Hochstein and on UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Lebanon war, and also on the Gaza hostage-ceasefire proposal unveiled by Biden at the end of May, the TV report said. This broad framework was intended to enable Israel to say it had separated the northern front crisis from Gaza, while Hezbollah could argue that it was ceasing its attacks because the Gaza war would be coming to an end. Amid the talk of a ceasefire, some 25 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Lower Galilee in the evening, setting off sirens in several towns and injuring one person. According to the military, the rockets all struck open areas. Paramedics treated a 45-year-old man who was moderately wounded by shrapnel in the attack, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said in a statement. An Israeli Air Force drone struck the launcher used in the attack a short while later, the IDF said. Overall Thursday, Hezbollah launched more than 175 rockets at northern Israel, while the Israeli military said fighter jets struck some 220 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon throughout the day. A military statement said the strikes in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley targeted buildings used by Hezbollah, rocket launchers used in attacks on northern Israel, weapon depots, and operatives. In preparation for a further escalation of the conflict, troops of the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade wrapped up a drill simulating a ground offensive in Lebanon, the military said. Since Israel escalated its airstrikes on the Hezbollah terror group on Monday, more than 630 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. | ||
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Macron: US should pressure Netanyahu to accept ceasefire Blinken to Dermer: Important to reach an agreement on Lebanon ceasefire Grom: what about UN resolution 1701? |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-09-27 00:26 |