US pushes ceasefire in Lebanon as Netanyahu says Israel will fight on

TEL AVIV: Dimming hopes for a ceasefire, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel plans to continue striking Hezbollah "with full force" and will not stop until all of its goals are achieved. Netanyahu spoke as he landed in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting and as US and European officials were pressing for a 21-day halt in fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah to give time for negotiations.
Only a short time before his statement, the Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah drone commander in a strike on an apartment building in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
Israel minister rejects proposal
Netanyahu said Israel's "policy is clear. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes." Israel's foreign minister rejected the proposal in sentiments echoed by lawmakers across the Israeli political spectrum.
The statement tempered hopes for the international initiative aimed at halting increasingly heavy exchanges of fire. However, the White House said discussions are continuing for a 21-day ceasefire and US and Israeli officials would hold talks in New York Thursday. US secretary of state Antony Blinken was scheduled to meet with Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer. In London, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin warned there was a risk of all-out war in West Asia, but a diplomatic solution was still possible. Asked about "red lines" for US support to Israel, Austin told reporters that the US would not change its commitment to help Israel protect itself.
Militant emissary to houthis
Soon after the Israeli PM's statement, Hezbollah TV station Al-Manar reported an Israeli air strike in a suburb of Beirut. It and other stations showed a damaged apartment building in Dahiyeh, the suburb where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The Israeli military later said the strike killed Mohammed Hussein Surour. Hezbollah offered no comment on the claim. The Israeli military said Sarour oversaw the manufacture of drones, played a role in intelligence gathering, and acted as an emissary to Yemen, whose Iran-backed Houthi militants have also launched aerial attacks on Israel.
It came less than one week after an air strike in the areakilled a number of senior Hezbollah commanders.
Israel hits 75 sites, 20 killed
Earlier in the day, a strike in eastern Lebanon killed 20 people, most of them Syrian migrants, according to Lebanese officials. Israel has dramatically stepped up its bombardment in Lebanon, saying it is determined to stop Hezbollah's near-daily rocket volleys over the past 11 months. Israel struck 75 sites overnight across southern and eastern Lebanon, the military said. At least 45 projectiles were fired from Lebanon Thursday, all of which were intercepted or fell in open areas, it said. Strikes since Monday have killed over 630 people in Lebanon, around a quarter of them women and children.
Hezbollah has not yet responded to the truce proposal. Lebanon's caretaker PM Najib Mikati welcomed it, but his govt has no sway over the group.
Ben-Gvir threatens over truce
One of Netanyahu's far-right governing partners threatened on Thursday to suspend cooperation with his govt if it signs onto a temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah - and to quit completely if a permanent deal is reached. It was the latest sign of displeasure from Netanyahu's allies toward ceasefire efforts. "If a temporary ceasefire becomes permanent, we will resign from the govt," said national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Jewish Power party. If Ben-Gvir leaves the coalition, Netanyahu would lose his majority.
(With inputs from AP & NYT)