🔴 Live: Israel rejects US-backed Lebanon ceasefire plan ahead of Netanyahu UN address

Summary:

• Israel rejected a push by allies for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon and vowed to keep fighting Hezbollah militants "until victory", ahead of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's expected address to the UN General Assembly on Friday. The White House expressed frustration at the rejection, saying the truce proposal had taken "a lot of care and effort".
• France's President Emmanuel Macron said later it was "a mistake" for Netanyahu to refuse a ceasefire and that he would have to take "responsibility" for a regional escalation. Speaking in Canada where he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – who also backed the ceasefire – Macron noted that the ceasefire plan had been prepared with Netanyahu himself.
• Lebanon's health ministry said late Thursday that Israeli strikes had killed 92 people in the country and injured 153 in the past 24 hours. Thursday's toll brings the number of people killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since Monday alone to more than 700.

Yesterday's key developments:

• France and the United States on Wednesday proposed a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon after days of deadly strikes by Israel against Iranian-backed group Hezbollah. The proposed ceasefire, backed by several Arab states, would allow time for both parties to hold negotiations.
• Israel’s defence ministry said it had secured an $8.7 billion aid package from the United States to support the country’s ongoing military efforts, including upgrading air defence systems.
• United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said "hell is breaking loose in Lebanon", as he addressed an emergency UN Security Council session. "Diplomatic efforts have intensified to achieve a temporary ceasefire," he added.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)