US and France push for ceasefire in Lebanon

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The United States and France were racing to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday as Israel’s army chief ordered troops to prepare for a possible ground offensive in Lebanon.

US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah and prevent a wider war.

The two leaders are aiming for a 21-day ceasefire, during which time the mediators will work to hammer out a longer-term deal, according to two people briefed on the situation.

The de-escalation would be used to work toward full implementation of a 2006 United Nations resolution that ended a previous conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militants, which called for changes including the demilitarization of southern Lebanon along Israel’s border, the official said.

French President Macron said on Wednesday that “war must not be allowed in Lebanon”, adding that he would send foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot to Beirut this weekend as part of efforts to prevent an all-out war.

Biden said he was “using every ounce of energy I have” to try to stop the fighting in the hope that a “ceasefire in Lebanon” could pave the way for “a resolution.” [occupied] “West Bank” and Gaza Strip.

Biden said Arab states in the region “are ready to accommodate Israel and its allies if Israel changes some of its policies.”

However, a Western diplomat in the region said there was scepticism about the initiative.

The conditions that led to the deadlock in hostage-for-ceasefire negotiations in Gaza still exist, so “why would you think you could push Israel and Hamas to accept such a deal now? What has changed?” the diplomat said.

“[Benjamin] “Netanyahu would never agree to a union of two fronts,” the diplomat argued, adding that this was exactly what Hezbollah and its main backer Iran “have been trying to do for 12 months.”

“Hizbollah is calculating very slowly and carefully every next move. They have been hit very hard but they are not defeated,” the diplomat added.

The diplomatic effort came as Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told the military that airstrikes on Lebanon were aimed not only at “weakening” the Lebanese militant group but also “preparing the battlefield for possible infiltration” by its friends in what would be Israel’s first invasion of the country since the two sides fought a 34-day war in 2006.

“We are preparing the mobilization process, which means that your army, your mobilization forces will enter enemy territory, enter the villages that Hezbollah has prepared as major military outposts,” he said.

The speech was IsraelIt was the clearest threat of a ground attack since the start of a fierce aerial bombing campaign in Lebanon three days ago, hitting thousands of targets it said were linked to Hezbollah, killing hundreds and raising fears of all-out war.

US Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Wednesday that “in terms of a ground incursion… it does not appear to be imminent.”

But the IDF said it was calling up two reserve brigades, which would “allow continued fighting” against Hezbollah to defend Israeli territory and allow residents of northern Israel displaced by the cross-border conflict – which has simmered since Hamas’s offensive on the Jewish state last October – to return home.

However, Israel has yet to mobilize its reserves on the scale it did when it launched its offensive against Hamas in Gaza 11 months ago.

Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, insisted on Wednesday that military operations would continue. “I can’t go into the details of everything we’re doing, but I can tell you one thing: We are determined to bring the people of the north back home safely,” he said in a short video.

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 600 people this week, including 72 on Wednesday, according to Lebanese authorities. The International Organization for Migration says at least 90,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by the violence.

Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv early Wednesday morning as Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile into Israel for the first time.

Hezbollah said the Qader 1 ballistic missile, which is more destructive and has a longer range than other missiles the group has fired during the conflict, targeted the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Although intercepted by Israeli air defenses with no reported damage or casualties, the launch marked one of the group’s deepest strike attempts and the first to target the country’s economic heartland.

Hezbollah also revealed that it had used “Fadi” missiles for the first time this week. These missiles have a range of 70km to 100km — further than other types used by the group.

Israel is bracing for more intense fire from Hezbollah after the IDF began heavy attacks on the group’s strongholds on Monday.

Israeli airstrikes hit Lebanon with renewed ferocity on Wednesday, expanding the campaign to new areas of the country beyond Hezbollah-dominated areas. They have sparked an exodus of residents from southern Lebanon as panicked families flee to safer areas.

Hezbollah attacks have increased in response to Israeli airstrikes, and the group has fired deeper into Israel. Most of its rockets have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses, but the group is believed to have large unused stockpiles.

Additional reporting by Charles Clover. Data visualization by Steven Bernard and Chris Cook