Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the country’s military to continue fighting with “full force” against the armed group Hezbollah, despite calls from the US and other allies for a ceasefire.
At least 28 people were killed in Israeli air strikes in Lebanon on Thursday, taking the total death toll since Monday to more than 630, according to local health authorities.
Israel’s military said it killed the head of Hezbollah’s drone unit, Mohammad Surur, in a strike on an apartment building in the south of Beirut.
Fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah are at a high, after a dramatic escalation in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since Monday.
Mr Netanyahu said Israel would “not stop” until it reached all of its goals, “chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes.”
Around 70,000 Israelis have been displaced from the north of the country since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by the war in Gaza, began nearly a year ago.
In Lebanon, around 90,000 people have been displaced since Israeli military action ramped up on Monday, adding to the 110,000 who had fled their homes already, according to the UN.
The US, UK and EU formed part of a 12-strong bloc that called for a three week ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday.
The ceasefire call was welcomed by Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, but Hezbollah have not yet commented.
The US later said the call had been coordinated with Israel, despite Netanyahu’s assertion, just hours later, that Israel would continue fighting.
Through Thursday, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s south and in the Bekaa Valley in the country’s east.
It said the attacks included infrastructure on the Lebanese-Syrian border to cut weapons supplies to the group.
Israel’s military chief Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday Israeli air strikes on Lebanon could pave the way for the IDF to “enter enemy territory”.
Israeli Air Force (IAF) Commander Maj Gen Tomer Bar told troops on Thursday they should be “prepared” to support a “ground manoeuvre” into Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Qatar joined calls for a de-escalation with government spokesman Majed al-Ansari saying the country had received “horrific reports from Lebanon about targeting whole families, in a way that is similar to the atrocities in Gaza”.
After meeting with British and Australian counterparts in London, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Israel and Hezbollah face the risk of “an all-out war” but that “a diplomatic solution is still viable”.
“Israel has stated that its goal is to return its citizens to their home in the north. I believe the quickest way to do that is through diplomacy,” Austin said.
On Thursday evening, Israel’s defense ministry (IMoD) said it had secured an $8.7bn (£6.5bn) US aid package to support its current military campaigns.
In a statement, IMoD said the package includes $3.5bn for “essential wartime procurement”, which has already been transferred, and $5.2bn for air defense systems such as the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and an advanced laser system.