Netanyahu says Israel to keep striking Hezbollah until all its goals are achieved

Dimming hopes for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel plans to continue striking Hezbollah "with full force" and will not stop until all of its goals are achieved.

Netanyahu spoke as he landed in New York to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting and as U.S. and European officials were pressing for a 21-day halt in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to give time for negotiations.

Only a short time before his statement, the Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah drone commander in an airstrike on an apartment building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

Netanyahu said Israel's "policy is clear. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes."

Israel has dramatically escalated strikes in Lebanon this week, saying it is targeting Hezbollah. Israeli leaders have said they are determined to stop more than 11 months of cross-border fire by the group into Israel, which has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from communities in the north.

The statement tempered hopes for the international initiative aimed at halting increasingly heavy exchanges of fire that have killed hundreds of people in Lebanon and threatened to trigger an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has talked of a possible ground invasion into Lebanon to push the group away from the border.

Hezbollah has not yet responded to the proposal for a pause in fighting while caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed it.

Hezbollah has insisted it would halt its strikes only if there is a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has battled Hamas for nearly a year. That appears out of reach despite months of negotiations led by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

In a statement, Netanyahu's office said that "the fighting in Gaza will also continue until all the objectives of the war have been achieved." Netanyahu is expected to meet with other world leaders on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

One of Netanyahu's far-right governing partners threatened on Thursday to suspend cooperation with his government if it signs onto a temporary cease-fire with Hezbollah – and to quit completely if a permanent deal is reached. It was the latest sign of displeasure from Netanyahu's allies toward international cease-fire efforts.

If Ben-Gvir leaves the coalition, Netanyahu would lose his parliamentary majority and could see his government come toppling down, though opposition leaders have said they would offer support for a cease-fire deal.