Hardline allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition on Thursday rejected proposals from the United States and France for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon to buy time to reach a diplomatic solution.
Netanyahu, who left Israel on Thursday to address the United Nations, has yet to respond directly to the ceasefire proposal. Before leaving, he reiterated his promise to ensure that thousands of Israelis expelled from the northern border areas can return home.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads one of two nationalist-religious factions in the coalition, said Hezbollah must be crushed and that only its surrender would allow the displaced to return.
“The enemy must not be given time to recover from heavy losses and regroup to continue the fight after 21 days,” he said in a statement.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s right-wing bloc was due to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday, but party members have already come out against the proposal.
The United States and France, with the support of other allies, on Wednesday called for a 21-day ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon “Blue Line” (the demarcation line between the two countries) to give the two sides an opportunity to negotiate towards a possible diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Israel last week carried out its heaviest air strikes against Lebanon since a 2006 war, killing more than 600 people, while months of cross-border firing with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement has escalated into full-blown war.
Hezbollah has fired hundreds of missiles at Israeli targets, including for the first time the country’s economic hub Tel Aviv, although Israel’s air defense system has ensured that damage was limited.
On Wednesday, Israel’s army chief made his clearest public comment yet on the possibility of a ground invasion of Lebanon, telling troops stationed near the border to be ready to cross the border.
It was not immediately clear whether the comments were a precursor to a ground operation or a negotiating tactic to pressure Hezbollah. Israel has also increased troops along the northern border and called up two additional reserve brigades to the north on Wednesday.
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire for nearly a year, since Hezbollah first opened fire on October 7 when fighters from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel.