Live updates: Israel strikes Lebanon as US pushes for ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to discuss a proposed temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah during talks at the UN General Assembly, an Israeli official told CNN.

While the prime minister rejected suggestions the ceasefire would be imminent — instead asserting that the Israeli military would continue fighting “with full force” — the source said it was notable that Netanyahu has not denied reports that the US is pushing for a 21-day ceasefire.

The ceasefire plan was proposed by the United States and its allies in an attempt to stop wider war in the region and was described by one senior US official as an “important breakthrough.”

Here’s what else to know:

• Netanyahu comments: In response to reports that a ceasefire was “imminent,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: “The news about a ceasefire is incorrect. This is an American-French proposal, to which the prime minister did not even respond.” The Foreign Minister Israel Katz also said Israel would continue to fight Hezbollah “with all our might.” But the Israeli source said that the main reason for Netanyahu’s trip to the UNGA was diplomatic talks, and that “Israel favors a diplomatic solution.”

• Ceasefire plan: The details are scant, but we do know that the United States and its allies are pushing for a 21-day ceasefire that would allow for a pause in the fighting and room for diplomacy to take hold. President Joe Biden said the plan had been endorsed by the United States, Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

• Right-wing politicians rage at Netanyahu: Right-wing Israeli ministers on Thursday expressed indignation at reports that the United States is pushing for a weeks-long ceasefire in Lebanon, and the silence from their own prime minister. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X: “The enemy must not be given time to recover from the heavy blows.”

• Strikes continue: The Israeli military said it struck about 75 targets in Lebanon overnight. The military added that it was continuing to “dismantle and degrade” Hezbollah infrastructure and capabilities. Sirens meanwhile sounded in northern Israel as around 45 rockets were launched towards the country from Lebanon this morning, the Israeli military said.

• Thousands displaced: Fleeing Israeli bombardment, thousands of internally displaced people in Lebanon have headed for the city of Sidon on the Mediterranean coast, where schools have been opened to shelter them. Read their stories here. Separately, 70,000 people are registered in shelters across the country.