Israel will continue to discuss ceasefire proposals for Lebanon in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as Washington warned that further escalation would only make it harder for civilians on both sides to return home.

Israel’s prime minister has rejected a US-led ceasefire proposal and sworn to continue fighting Hezbollah with “full force”.

Yesterday, after Netanyahu left for New York, where he is expected to address the UN General Assembly this afternoon at about 4:30 p.m. ET, his office issued another statement saying that the Israeli prime minister had ordered the country’s army to continue fighting with all its forces in Lebanon.