The Israeli leader, arriving in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly, said: “We continue to hit Hezbollah with all our might.”The New York Times reports that on Sept. 26, 2024 at 5:16 p.m. ET, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Israeli military will continue to strike Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, despite efforts by the United States and other nations to broker a three-week cease-fire. Mr. Netanyahu’s statement, released as he arrived in New York City, appeared to pour cold water on the proposed cease-fire and reaffirmed Israel’s policy of hitting Hezbollah with full force.

The Prime Minister’s comments came ahead of his scheduled speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, where world leaders have been urging for an end to the violence in Gaza and Lebanon to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East. However, the proposal for a three-week cease-fire, put forward by the United States, its European allies, and several Arab states, was not well received by Israeli officials. Hezbollah has yet to respond to the proposal.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militia, has resulted in hundreds of casualties and displaced approximately 500,000 people in Lebanon. On Thursday, the Israeli military reported that it had killed another high-ranking Hezbollah commander in a bombing in Beirut and had struck 220 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in response to 45 rockets fired into northern Israel. Meanwhile, bombing continued in Gaza, with the Israeli military targeting a school compound being used as a shelter, which they claimed was also a Hamas command-and-control center. Palestinian Civil Defense officials reported 35 deaths in Israeli strikes across the enclave, including 15 at the school compound, which included women and children.

Analysts have noted that there are significant hurdles to reaching a cease-fire agreement, as both sides have conflicting demands. Similarly, previous efforts to secure a truce in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages have been unsuccessful due to these conflicting demands.

In preparation for a possible ground invasion in Lebanon, the Israeli military released a video of the commander of its Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, stating that Israel is determined to prevent Hezbollah from being resupplied with arms from Iran, its backer. The situation remains tense as both sides continue to exchange fire and the possibility of a wider conflict looms. 

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