With Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the United Nations tomorrow, sources are claiming that an urgent ceasefire deal with Lebanon is being worked on

Last gasp attempts are being made to stop an “all-out war” between Israel and Lebanon which could decimate the entire Middle East.

With Israel carrying out several attacks inside Lebanon in recent weeks – in retaliation for a year’s worth of rocket fire into Israel by terrorist group Hezbollah – there are fears of the area being turned into a “death zone”. And with Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the United Nations tomorrow, sources are claiming that an urgent ceasefire deal is being worked on. According to the Telegraph and Sky News, a 21-day ceasefire is just “hours” away, with a US administration official claiming: “The ceasefire will be for 21 days along the blue line (demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights).

“During those 21 days, the parties will negotiate towards a potential resolution of the conflict that has been ongoing since Hezbollah launched the attack on October 8, and to reach a comprehensive agreement along the blue line that allows for residents to return to their home in both Lebanon and Israel.” However, two sources involved with Israeli politics told the Daily Star that it was unlikely to happen, with one adding that “the only way there will be a ceasefire with any country or group being agreed is if all the hostages (in Gaza) are returned.”

Controversial far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich fanned the flames of war earlier today when he claimed that the only way war in Lebanon could be stopped or avoided is if Hezbollah was “crushed”.

He said: “The campaign in the north should end in one scenario – crushing Hezbollah and denying its ability to harm the residents of the north. The enemy must not be given time to recover from the heavy blows he received and to reorganize for the continuation of the war after 21 days. “Surrender of Hezbollah or war, that’s the only way we will return the residents and security to the north and the country.”

However, Netanyahu poured scorn on the ceasefire talk, posting on social media: “The news about a ceasefire – not true. This is an American-French proposal, to which the prime minister did not even respond. The news about the supposed directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth. The Prime Minister instructed the IDF to continue the fighting with full force, and according to the plans presented to him.

“Also, the fighting in Gaza will continue until all the goals of the war are achieved.”

Regardless, it appears as thought Netanyahu’s speech tomorrow might not go down well, Alon Liel, a former director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry claims. “Netanyahu is arriving at the UN almost as a persona non grata,” he said.

And Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul general in New York said that the Israeli leader “actually believes that his UN speeches have transformative effects on history. They do not.”

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