LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to continue fighting with full force targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon despite call by allies for a 21-day ceasefire.
'The news about the supposed directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth. The prime minister instructed the (Israel Defense Forces) to continue the fighting with full force, and according to the plans presented to him,' a statement from his office said.
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz made it clear that there will be no ceasefire in the north.
Wednesday, the United States, Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Qatar made a collective call for an immediate 21 day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border 'to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement consistent with UNSCR 1701, and the implementation of UNSCR 2735 regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.'
In a joint statement, the Israeli allies called on all parties, including the Governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately consistent with UNSCR 1701 during this period, and to give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement.
Hezbollah sent dozens of rockets across the border Thursday morning, reports say.
Earlier, Israel had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Hezbollah that hit close to Tel Aviv. It was the first time that a missile from Lebanon is reaching as far as the country's largest urban area and economic center.
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