BEIRUT – The United States and its allies pressed for a 21-day ceasefire in the sharp escalation of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that has threatened to plunge Lebanon into an all-out war.

Israeli aerial bombardment of Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the militant group has hit back with barrages of rockets and said a ballistic missile targeted Tel Aviv.

Israel’s army chief told soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah, deepening fears that the battle may worsen.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency described Israel’s bombardment in areas near the ancient city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon as “the most violent” of recent days.

Nour Hamad, a 22-year-old student in Baalbek, described living “in a state of terror” all week.

“We spent four or five days without sleep, not knowing if we will wake up in the morning,” she said.

The situation in Lebanon has become “intolerable” and “is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon,” said a joint statement from US president Joe Biden, his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and other allies.

“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement.”

The statement was issued jointly with Western powers, Japan and key Gulf Arab powers — Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — as leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and warned, “Hell is breaking loose.”

For many on both sides of the border, the violence has sparked bitter memories of the 2006 war that killed 1 200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers.

According to the UN, the latest violence has sparked an exodus of around 90 000 people from their homes in traditional Hezbollah strongholds for safer areas elsewhere in the tiny Mediterranean country.

Israel said it welcomed diplomacy with Lebanon but did not commit to a ceasefire, vowing to pursue its goal of degrading Hezbollah. “We are grateful for all those who are making a sincere effort with diplomacy to avoid escalation, to avoid a full war,” Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told reporters.

But he added: “We will use all means at our disposal, in accordance with international law, to achieve our aims.”

Netanyahu delayed his departure for New York until yesterday, where he too is due to speak at the UN General Assembly.

“We are striking Hezbollah with blows it never imagined. We are doing this with full force, we are doing this with guile. One thing I promise you: we will not rest until they return home”, Netanyahu said of those displaced in Israel. The ceasefire call came hours after Israel’s army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, told troops to be on alert for a possible entry into Lebanon.

“We are attacking all day, both to prepare the ground for the possibility of your entry, but also to continue striking Hezbollah,” he told a tank brigade, according to a statement.

Iran-backed Hezbollah had earlier Wednesday targeted Israel’s Mossad spy agency headquarters on Tel Aviv’s outskirts — the first time it has claimed a ballistic missile firing in almost a year of cross-border clashes sparked by the Gaza war.

Tel Aviv resident Hedva Fadlon (61) told AFP: “The situation is difficult. We feel the pressure and the tension… I don’t think anyone in the world would like to live like this.” – Nampa/AFP