Israel’s far-right national security minister and the mayors of several northern towns have lashed out at a plan for a US-brokered ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet is due to meet later on Tuesday to vote on the deal, which would involve an initial 60-day truce, and pave the way for an end to more than a year of hostilities with Hizbollah. John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said on Monday that an agreement was “close”.
However, in an interview with Israeli public radio, Itamar Ben-Gvir said the ceasefire would be a “historic mistake”, and that Israel should continue its assault on Hizbollah. “It will be a historical missed opportunity if we stop everything and go backwards,” the minister said.