Israel vowed Thursday to fight Lebanese Hezbollah “until victory,” rejecting an international call for a 21-day ceasefire, as massive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah continue in the east and south from Lebanon. Visiting Canada, Emmanuel Macron judged that it would be “a mistake” to refuse the ceasefire proposal, given the risk of a “regional escalation”. The Lebanese Shiite movement, which has vowed to continue its attacks “until the end of the aggression in Gaza”, confirmed Thursday the death of the head of its drone unit.
Information to remember
⇒ For Emmanuel Macron, Netanyahu would make “a mistake” by refusing the ceasefire
⇒ Hezbollah confirms the death of Mohammed Srour, head of its drone unit
⇒ 92 dead and 153 injured in Lebanon on Thursday in new Israeli strikes
07:20
For Emmanuel Macron, Netanyahu would make “a mistake” by refusing the ceasefire
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday, during a press conference in Montreal with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that it would be “a mistake” to refuse the ceasefire proposed in Lebanon. The proposal was “prepared, negotiated with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his teams, both by the Americans and by us,” he stressed. “I think it would be a mistake on the part of the (Israeli) Prime Minister to refuse it because he would take responsibility for a regional escalation,” he insisted.
France “is opposed to Lebanon becoming a new Gaza” he also declared, referring to the “absolutely shocking” number of civilian victims.
The United States, the European Union and other allies, as well as several Arab states, launched a joint appeal Wednesday evening for a halt to fighting in Lebanon for 21 days. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured yesterday that the army would continue its fight against Hezbollah “with all the necessary force”. “This is a US-French proposal to which the Prime Minister has not even responded,” said a statement from his office.
The French president considered that Israel’s first reactions to the proposal were not “definitive” and raised the possibility of convening a new Security Council on the subject to “increase pressure”. Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to speak around 3:30 p.m. French time before the UN General Assembly.
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07:05
Hezbollah confirms death of Mohammed Srour, head of its drone unit
“With great pride and honor, the Islamic Resistance announces the martyrdom of mujahid commander Mohammed Hussein Srour,” born in 1973 in the town of Aita al-Shaab, in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah said in a statement. THURSDAY. Mohammed Srour was the head of the drone unit of the Lebanese Shiite movement. The Israeli army announced a few hours earlier that it had killed him in a strike south of Beirut.
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According to a source close to the Lebanese group, Mohammed Srour, a mathematician, was one of the senior commanders of the movement sent to Yemen to train the Houthi rebels, also supported by Iran. This is the fourth strike in a week targeting Hezbollah’s stronghold near the Lebanese capital. The official Lebanese news agency said that “three missiles” had targeted “a residential apartment in a 10-story building” in this densely populated suburb of southern Beirut.
06:55
Israeli strikes left 92 dead and 153 injured in Lebanon on Thursday
Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed 92 people and injured 153 others on Thursday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. “Raids by the Israeli enemy” caused the deaths of 40 people in southern Lebanon, 25 in the Baalbek-Hermel region (east), 23 in the Bekaa (east) and 4 in the Mount Lebanon region ( east-central), according to the ministry, and a total of 153 people were injured.
In almost a year, clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have left 1,540 dead.