The White House asserted on Thursday that a U.S.-led international call for a ceasefire in Lebanon had been “coordinated” with Israel, despite Israel later rejecting the proposal and vowing to continue its fight against Hezbollah.
“The statement was indeed coordinated with the Israeli side,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, noting that discussions were ongoing at the UN General Assembly in New York.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified that his government had not officially responded to the U.S.-backed push for a 21-day ceasefire in its campaign against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
“It is an American-French proposal, which the prime minister has not even responded to,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, adding that he had instructed the military “to continue fighting with full force.”
In a separate statement, the Israeli military reported that a tank brigade conducted exercises near the Lebanese border on Thursday morning, in rugged, mountainous terrain. The drills were aimed at enhancing the brigade’s operational and logistical readiness for various combat scenarios in enemy territory along the northern front.
During a visit to an air base in central Israel, Air Force Chief Major General Tomer Bar addressed soldiers and commanders, indicating that preparations were underway for possible ground operations.
“We are preparing side by side with the Northern Command for a potential ground maneuver, and will be ready to activate it if necessary,” Bar stated, while emphasizing that the final decision rests with higher authorities.
He also highlighted that the air force was focused on preventing arms transfers from Iran to Hezbollah.
“We are currently operating in Lebanon to block any potential weapons transfers from Iran, following the damage we inflicted on Hezbollah recently,” Bar said. He added that this mission had become a priority, as Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and the group’s ability to recover rely on maintaining the flow of arms from Iran.