Ceasefire plan rejected

Israel and Hezbollah traded fire yesterday after the United States and its allies failed to secure a halt in clashes that have killed more than 700 people in Lebanon this week.

- 

With top Israeli ministers rejecting a 21-day truce proposal, the spotlight is now on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was due to address the UN General Assembly later yesterday.

Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in a deadly exchange of cross-border fire since the Iran-backed group's Palestinian ally, Hamas, attacked Israel on 7 October.

Nearly a year into the war with Hamas in Gaza, Israel shifted its focus to its northern front with Lebanon.

Since Monday, Israeli warplanes have bombarded Hezbollah strongholds around the country, sparking an exodus of around 118 000 people, according to the UN.

Yesterday, Lebanon's National News Agency said Israeli air strikes had intensified overnight and one strike had killed a family of nine in south Lebanon.

Hours later, Hezbollah fired rockets into the north Israeli city of Tiberias, saying it was responding to "savage" strikes on Lebanese towns and villages.