Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Opens Up On US Efforts To Mediate Tensions In Lebanon

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given his government the green light to engage with the United States' efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Lebanon, an Israeli official said.

The official said PM Netanyahu gave his approval with the understanding that every agreement should allow Israeli civilians to return to their homes in northern Israel, then adding his country "will not rest" until that happens.

"I can't go into details on everything we do, but I can tell you one thing: we are determined to return our residents to the north safely to their homes," the prime minister told CNN.

Amos Hochstein, a senior White House adviser, was involved in a dialogue, the source said, adding the United States did not speak directly to Hezbollah.

CNN reported on Wednesday that Washington was working on a plan to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, according to three sources familiar with the matter, as officials observed with growing fears of widespread conflict.

Israel and the Hezbollah militia group have been involved in cross-border fire on the Lebanese border in the past year, since the conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023.

Recently, attacking both sides has increased dramatically this week, with Israel increasing airstrikes that Hezbollah responded to with rocket launches.

Israeli spokesman Defense Forces (IDF) Rear Admiral Daniel Right on Wednesday said IDF forces had attacked 2,000 targets in Lebanon over the past three days, amid a wave of attacks on Hezbollah.

That includes 70 Hezbollah intelligence locations in its final round of attacks on Wednesday, according to the military.

"In today's attack, we attacked various targets from the air on the intelligence headquarters system," explained Laksda Miki. "We attacked 70 different locations, and that's how we made it difficult for Hezbollah to create an intelligence picture," he added.

Separately, Lebanese Health Ministry said 72 people were killed and 392 others injured in IDF airstrikes in Lebanon during Wednesday, quoted by The Times of Israel.

The IDF said it was targeting the location of Hezbollah, including the homes where the militant group kept ammunition. It warned civilians before carrying out the attack.