Israel kept up its bombardment of Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, as the US and its allies proposed a three-week cease-fire to allow for negotiations in a last-ditch effort to avoid full-blown war.
The initiative unveiled Wednesday and led by US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron comes as Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion of Lebanon, Bloomberg reports. Such a move would risk spiraling into a regional conflagration that could drag the US and Iran, which backs Hezbollah, into a direct conflict for the first time.
Lebanon’s economy minister, Amin Salam, described the cease-fire proposal as “very serious” and said the coming day will be crucial. “We feel there is a lot of flexibility in the past 24 hours from Hezbollah’s side,” he told Bloomberg TV on Thursday. In Israel, there’s been a skeptical response across the political spectrum.
The cease-fire bid comes as Israeli forces pound targets in Lebanon for a fourth day. More than 600 people, including at least 50 children, have been killed since the strikes began, with thousands of Lebanese fleeing the country’s south.
There was no immediate word from Hezbollah on the proposal, which is intended to eventually lead to the return of tens of thousands of Israelis who fled their homes in the north to escape rocket attacks from the group that began in October 2023 in support of Hamas.
Israeli politicians, including from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, appear to be showing strong resistance to the plan. Israel says it’s bombarding Lebanon to stop Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks.
