Netanyahu denies report of imminent ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a report he has given the green light for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A group of countries led by the U.S. and France is working to secure a deal for the ceasefire.

“The report about a ceasefire is incorrect,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.

“This is an American-French proposal that the prime minister has not even responded to.”

A report by broadcaster N12 that Netanyahu had instructed the army to reduce attacks in the northern neighbouring country was also “the opposite of the truth,” his office said.

“The prime minister has directed the IDF to continue fighting with full force, according to the plan that was presented to him.”

A joint demand for a ceasefire lasting 21 days was earlier issued by a handful of countries, including the U.S., Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

The demand had been coordinated with Israel, according to the U.S. government. White House spokesman John Kirby said the statement “wasn’t just drawn up in a vacuum.”

It was done after careful consultation, Kirby said, “not only with the countries that signed on to it but Israel itself.”

The pause is intended to create space for a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as the nearly year-long Gaza war.