Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli negotiators on Thursday discussed a U.S. ceasefire proposal in Lebanon and would continue to meet in the coming days.
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Earlier, Netanyahu’s office rejected reports of supposedly ongoing negotiations on a truce with the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, emphasizing that the prime minister did not even respond to proposals from the United States and France.
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“Due to the amount of misinformation surrounding the US ceasefire initiative, it is important to clarify a few points… Our teams met (Thursday, September 26) to discuss the US initiative… We will continue these discussions in the coming days,” a statement by Netanyahu published on the social network X said.
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On Monday, the Israeli Army General Staff assigned the name “Arrows of the North” to the offensive operation that began in Lebanon. Since last week, the Israeli Air Force has been carrying out massive strikes on Hezbollah targets in different areas of Lebanon.
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Several targeted airstrikes were also recorded in Beirut, as a result of which senior Hezbollah commanders were eliminated. To date, the Israeli army has reported strikes on more than 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Observers note that Israel has not attacked Hezbollah with such intensity since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
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More than 90 thousand people have already been forced to flee their homes in southern Lebanon due to the escalation of the conflict with Israel, according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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Hezbollah responds with rocket attacks primarily targeting northern Israel, but the range of rocket attacks has increased significantly in recent days. Every day, dozens of volleys are recorded at Israeli populated areas, during which residential buildings are hit, resulting in injuries. In particular, a missile was launched in the Tel Aviv area, which was shot down by air defense systems.
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Tensions are growing amid statements by the Israeli military about preparations for a ground operation in Lebanon.
